US Police Body-Cam Footage Shows Officer Pointing Taser at WNBA Star Paige Bueckers
Police body-cam footage from March shows a Miami officer pointing a Taser at WNBA star Paige Bueckers during her teammate Arike Ogunbowale's arrest, sparking nationwide controversy.
A major controversy has erupted in the United States following the release of police body-cam footage showing an officer pointing a Taser at the face of Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers during the arrest of her teammate, Arike Ogunbowale. The incident occurred on March 5 at around 4:20 AM outside a Miami nightclub, but the video has only recently come to light.
The Incident Outside the Miami Nightclub
Bueckers, Ogunbowale, and other WNBA players were celebrating Ogunbowale's championship win in the Unrivaled league. According to the police report, following a dispute inside the club, Ogunbowale and her friends were escorted to the back exit, where she allegedly punched a security guard in the face.
After the security guard identified her to the police, an officer approached to make an arrest. The body-cam footage shows Bueckers and others attempting to persuade the officer not to arrest Ogunbowale. As a crowd gathered around the officer, he drew a Taser and ordered everyone to back away.
"We've got her," Bueckers repeatedly told the officer while staying close to her teammate and wrapping her arm around her, prompting the officer to aim the Taser directly at her face.
Aftermath and Dropped Charges
Ultimately, the group allowed the officer to carry out the arrest. Ogunbowale was placed in a police cruiser and arrested on suspicion of assault. Although security footage matched the security guard's version of events, the prosecutor's office decided in May not to pursue the case, and the charges were dropped.
