A video showing a 70-year-old Black, reportedly bipolar woman being taunted and laughed at by Tulsa, Oklahoma cops meant to “protect and serve” has recently been making its rounds on social media and is now making headlines.
The video dates back to October 2021, however, it has only just become available to the public. In the footage, members of the Tulsa Police Department are seen responding to a woman who had locked herself in a bathroom following a reported mental health crisis, prompting a business owner to call authorities.
Bodycam footage from the incident totaled six minutes and showed LaDonna Paris being verbally and physically brutalized by the officers instead of being helped.
Responding Officer Ronni Carrocia can be heard saying, “This is going to be so fun” and is seen smiling and laughing multiple times throughout the video.
Reports state that the responding officers contacted a crisis response team for assistance with Paris but were told that the team was busy with another situation.
According to Oklahoma news site Oklahoma’s News 4, Officer Carrocia is seen “laughing while hitting the door handle with her foot and pushing on the door,” something that most would agree is a heartless and irresponsible way to assist a person dealing with a mental health crisis.
The site goes on to state that once the officers could not get Paris to come out, they kicked the door in, and Paris was then seen “battered and bloodied.”
Police described her injuries as “minor.”
The Tulsa Police Department responded to the situation by releasing a statement saying that the officers were “unprofessional,” but “the call was handled within the policies,” according to The Atlanta Black Star.
Paris was said to have spent a month in jail for the incident but was later released without charges.
Solomon-Simmons Law office is reportedly helping Paris with her case.