Tawanda Crowell was tasered by police after Publix grocery store employees called the police on her, falsely accusing her of stealing in Jacksonville, FL. National attorney Ben Crump represented Tawanda in a lawsuit against Publix after the encounter, but a likely federal racially insensitive judge dismissed the lawsuit, giving Tawanda nothing.
The incident was on February 4, 2020. Tawanda was at the Publix with her kids along with young nephews and nieces.
Tawanda shopped like everyone else in the store and she paid for all of her items. A Publix store employee then called police and reported that Tawanda did not have a receipt as she left the store.
Unaware that police were called on her, Tawanda got to her vehicle and put her groceries in her car. The kids got in the back seat.
As Tawanda got into the driver’s seat, a cop approached her and demanded that she show her receipt. Tawanda refused citing that it is against her constitutional right to show her receipt, which is true because the Fourth Amendment protects from unlawful search and seizure. Tawanda also stated that she does not steal.
The cop then threatens to arrest Tawanda. The cop tells Tawanda to exit her car, Tawanda exits the car and the officer tases Tawanda with 50,000 volts of hot electricity.
Tawanda screams in pain and then falls to the hard hot ground. Tawanda is placed in handcuffs and then arrested, all while the kids in the vehicle are screaming and crying.
The officer later views surveillance video that proves Tawanda didn’t steal anything. Police then search Tawanda’s car and find her receipt, further proving that she did not steal anything. Yet, Tawanda was still charged with resisting a police officer. Her charges were dropped by the district attorney.
Tawanda later sued Publix, but the case was dismissed in December 2021 by a judge.
