A Texas woman got more than what she bargained for after challenging a police officer to arrest her after allegedly refusing to follow a bank’s mask policy and then refusing to leave the business. The incident took place on Thursday and was caught on video by the officer’s bodycam.
In the footage (below), the woman identified as 65-year-old Terry Wright can be seen arguing with the officer inside a Bank of America branch in Galveston before being placed in handcuffs.
The video starts shortly after the officer enters the bank and is pointed in the direction of Wright, who is standing in line and not wearing a mask. Though Texas lifted its statewide mask mandate last week, individual businesses can continue to enforce masking requirements.
“Ma’am, I’ll say, if that says leave, you have to leave,” the officer could be heard telling White off-screen shortly after he approaches her in line.
“My money’s in this bank and I’m going to take it out,” White tells the officer.
“Well, then you have to abide by the rules and you have to have a mask on,” he tells her, adding that “businesses have the right to refuse service even if you’re not wearing a mask.”
“That’s why I’m taking my money out,” she continues.
“Awesome,” the officer responds. “Well, you need to go and a get a mask and then take your money out.”
When she continues to protest, the officer tells her, “Ma’am, listen, we’re gonna do this the easy way or the hard.”
“What are you gonna do, arrest me?” she asks.
“Yes, for intruding on premises,” the officer says.
“The law says that I do not have to wear a mask,” she tells the officer.
“You do not in public,” he informs her, “but you’re not in public … this is not a public place, this is a private business.”
The officer then tells White to go outside and she begins to walk away from the officer after telling him that he’s “taking away people’s human rights.”
When the officer appears to try to take out his handcuffs, the woman then swipes away from him.
A struggle ensues between the woman and the officer and she eventually is handcuffed on the ground.
“Police brutality, people,” she says to the people inside the bank.
“No,” others in the bank could be heard saying back to her. “No, it’s not.”
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