Police accidentally ended up tasing a 10-year-old girl during a tense hostage situation last Thursday. The incident happened in Pittsburgh.
Now, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is reviewing the incident. Officers attempted to rescue the girl from her mother. The young child's mother held the 10-year-old at knifepoint in a hostage situation. In a release, police say they responded to the incident.
A man flagged down the officers saying that a woman stole his Chevy Equinox and drove off. Police quickly located the man's car and the woman. She had two children with her at the time. Refusing to get arrested, the woman pulled a knife on a 4-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl. Police later confirmed that the girl was 48-year-old Gwendolyn Gilmore's daughter. The boy appears to be her nephew.
According to KDKA, authorities told her to put the knife down and pulled a gun on her. Instead, Gilmore allegedly wrapped her arms around their necks and held the knife against her daughter's neck. Officers swapped to their tasers.
Police Tase 10-Year-Old
"In an attempt to disarm the female and safeguard the welfare of the children, an officer on scene deployed a taser," the release detailed. "In the process, the 10-year-old female was inadvertently struck in the head by one of the taser prongs."
WTAE also reported that authoritieshit the 4-year-old in the leg with the taser as well. Following the accident, the girl "had a seizure at the scene." She also suffered a "minor laceration to her scalp." She ended up going to a local hospital.
"The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police reviews all use of force incidents that occur in the city and involve Pittsburgh Police officers," authorities said in the release. "As such, an extensive review of the officer's tactics from yesterday will be conducted to ensure reasonable force was used."
However, some officials praised the authorities for handling the situation the best they can. Beth Pittinger, executive director of the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board, told KDKA that police "did a very good job at managing that situation and ended up protecting those children from further harm,"
"Physically, they'll be okay," Pittinger added of the children. "But in terms of their psychological insult as a result of this by the mother, it's just unforgivable."
