Hooters' Security Guard Attacks Grandma, Grandma gets 7 months Jail! [CCTV]

I hope she wins. She has to win. If she dose not, then its obvious we have a legal system, not a justice system.

reply to post by earth2


It's pretty clear that this officer acted out of anger and not anywhere near a necessity that required restraining this woman..

reply to post by Frogs


You just proved my point as the need for actual audio in this kind of case.
I think she was spouting off to the officer long before he got into it with her, as the video shows she was getting verbally abusive with the staff there, all over a dispute with the staff over the bill. And instead of talking with and working it out with the manager, she kept going on, thus disturbing the peace, and there is no record as to what all she was stating in that case, or if she was also making racial slurs or threats towards any of the patrons there. Most of the time, from my own experience, when there is a security guard there that is armed, they usually can and will use all force necessary to protect the staff, patrons and business.
I do not believe the officer provoked or escalated this, I think that after the staff and manager went to take care of this, he became the target of her abuse.

reply to post by sdcigarpig


I think an advanced society can make the distinction between disorderly conduct, verbal insults and threats and violent actions. The actions of the security guard are much more disruptive than all the yelling the grandma did. It is the old " Sticks and stones can break bones" logic. Remember, words can never hurt you.
I have seen those nutty ladies trying to get out of paying a check. I wanted to hit them, I did not, and this makes me civilized. The security guard lost it, and should be punished.

IN some instances elderly people loose ground with reality and requires extra effort to deal with them specially if you are a public servant.In this case we have a cop that cut the chase,and not that the lady didnt wanna pay the bill but because she feel that was being overcharge.In any case elders are a special case to deal when it comes to explain something.IN a lot of cases I have seen the same problem cops,officers of the peace ,that look like wrestlers,using the taser pistol against elderlys,THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR IS VERY DISGUSTING.

So let me get this straight. If I go to Hooters and see that cop, all I need to do is wait till he turns his back and then slam his head into the nearest horizontal surface. In court, I get the same judge, claim the cop spit on me, and he does jail time?

I'm really glad that wasn't my mother. That cop would disappear one day, and there would never to be a trace of him ever again.

How was she sentenced 7 months for battery? She commits no act of aggression or violence against the cop. Even if she supposedly "spit" on the cop, how would that even be charged as battery warranting a 7 month prison sentence.

That's right, it doesn't.

Also, he just has to be a cop doesn't he? "Off-duty", but apparently carrying an on-duty radio to be able to call for immediate back-up. Look how many patrol officers show up for this crap too. That's what gets me. "Some over-the-hill woman might have spit on me, send all available units." Meanwhile, it takes 24hrs for someone to "respond" to a burglary. That should be illegal, frankly.

It's not just the pig who is the issue, it's the justice system.

Any judge, or jury who watches the video, and listens to the testimony should obviously come to the sound conclusion that the police officer is guilty of purposefully escalating the situation, and lying about the spitting part, to justify his racist motivations to falsely arrest, beat, and incarcerate this woman.

Therefore, the charges against this woman should be dropped, the officer should be charged with assault, false arrest, and hate crimes. The woman should do 36 hours of community service for pushing her body weight into the police officer.

And just for the record, I am a white male.

reply to post by earth2


1. In my opinion (after watching the un-edited version as well), the guard was clearly out of line. She is obviously mouthing off, but... you start looming, and belly thumping me into the counter... I would have clocked him right then, the first time he did it. I thought she showed admirable restraint actually, and then he grabs her by the hair from BEHIND, and starts slamming around an old woman half his size. Grade A, prime, A**hole. Period.

2.Her jail time may have something to do with prior convictions. That is how the system works.

3.There is no way to decipher what the man meant by 'you people...'. I could have been a racial slur, it could have been something else. If he did indeed say that at all.

chicago.cbslocal.com...

Hooters issued a statement, which says in part: “a full review of the security video and the testimony of several eye witnesses was enough to convict the plaintiff of crimes including assault and resisting arrest.”

Hooters also points out Torres’ numerous prior convictions. Among them, court records show several DUI’s, a previous battery, an arrest for shoplifting and false personation of a public employee.

...yeah, she's a model citizen alright (heavy sarcasm)...

Originally posted by no special characters
Pretty shocking to see a guy in a police uniform work in a private bar. Raises all sorts of questions.

- How is he allowed to work a private job as a uniformed officer ?
- How little does this cop make that he has to have 2 jobs ?
- Is a person capable working 2 shifts and still live ?
- Is it legal to work two shifts ?
- What kind of society allows this ?

...well, gosh, i'm shocked that you're shocked, lol... ...whats even more shocking are your questions... maybe you're really young... we'll go with that presumption, okay?...

...leos can have secondary jobs... some even have their own businesses... if you're really interested in leo pay scale, heres a place to start... www.policejobsinfo.com...

...many people work 2 jobs or 2 shifts - some even work more... some do it because they have to in order to keep their family fed and housed... some do it because they're hyper, lol... some just want nice things and know they have to work hard to get em...

...where do you live that you would even question the legality of working two shifts or what kind of society would allow it?...

Both people were out of line...


The cop however was exploiting his power by assulting the woman because he knew he could get away with it.

That kind of grabbing is what causes things like disc hernations in your cervical vertebrae and can cause things like paralysis.

The video elicits emotions in the sense that, I could physically destroy that guy given my training and abilities--and I always hate to see people act like a bully.

reply to post by earthdude

Ah, but there is the rub, she essentially threw the first punch, she struck out in a violent nature, physically assulting the guard/off duty security guard. She can scream, rant and rave, say just about anything, get banned from a store, but the moment that the touches, gets physical or even spits on a person, then that crosses the line from just being upset and actually committing a crime.

Originally posted by sdcigarpig
I do not believe the officer provoked or escalated this, I think that after the staff and manager went to take care of this, he became the target of her abuse.

We may have to agree to disagree on this. She is agitated and upset. At about :15 into the unedited clip she turns to the officer, points at him and says something.

Instead of doing anything to diffuse the situation he "gets in her face" and in her personal space. Much akin to taking someone who is angry, yelling etc and getting right in their face and daring them to "do something".

By getting in her face and space when all she did was say something to him - he escalated and provoked her in my opinion.

It even seems to agree with what you said yourself. Earlier in this thread you said yourself....

Originally posted by sdcigarpig

.....Yes the cop was wrong for getting into her face, but the moment she used her body to push him back, her hands to shove him and her daughter, it is assault, there is no doubt about that. There was a lot of tension going on between her and the cop. So there you have it, she is guilty of assault, as she laid hand on the cop first and did shove him back first.
The cop was wrong as he did get into her face, using an intimidation tactic, that it was wrong. ....

So which is it ? You can't have it both ways..

I agree, she committed assault when she pushed him and her daughter. But, I stand by my opinion that the officer provoked her into doing so.

Tell me - you get in the face on an angry yelling person and what will happen? They will either back down or take it out on you. As an officer with some street experience that likely gives him a good idea on reading situations of just who will react how. I'm still standing by my opinion. The officer wanted to take her to jail after she mouthed off to him - so he manipulated the situation so he could.

reply to post by Frogs

Perhaps, but then again, we do not know what all was stated in that time frame. Common sense is what can only be used to surmise on what all was being stated and why a 2 educated persons to be in the news. Ultimately, experience here has to lead to the belief that she stated something that caused the police officer to react. Having worked in the retail industry, including one job where there was a security guard on site, and having to deal with the cops at another job, this is what could be the cause and it make sense. When dealing with the public in a retail setting, customers will often get upset, especially if they feel they have been wronged. When upset, to the point of yelling and screaming, they will state and say things that most of the time they would not even do. When they are upset, a security guard who is present has to get there fast and be present to get in between the upset customer and the staff, as they are often paid for such. So based off of the video, the person and her family came in and had a meal at Hooters, and she saw something on the bill that she did not agree with, as such is carefully recorded, the staff was not going to take the item(s) off, then she disagreed with such and decided to get more verbal and upset. The woman has had prior reports against her, by the police, and her own family admits she has an anger management issues. She starts to spout off, in an attempt to intimidate the staff and manager, but the security guard probably let her know that she did have to pay or she would be arrested, and that would have aggravated the situation. She hands over the card and then the manager goes to take the card and ran it. The guard steps back and she keeps yelling and being verbally abusive. As the staff disappears, her anger then turns to the guard and starts up again. As we are not sure what all was said, here common sense must come into play, and can only surmise that just maybe she might have made a threat, causing the guard to get right up in her face. Words are exchanged, then physical blows from the person towards the officer and people around. He stated she spit into his face, which can not be confirmed, though there is a point where, here again, the actions are not clear and he takes her down, as she is still mouthing off to everyone around. His training would indicate he is not going to negotiate, and means business, taking her down immediately, calling for backup and keeping a hold of her. She goes to court and a jury of 12 people, find her guilty and she goes to jail. The lawyer representing her, instead of trying to clear her name or trying to get the verdict overturned, turns around and launches a law suit against the City, officer and business. When I first made the posting, I was viewing the edited clip, and then when I saw the unedited one, then it was a bit more clearer that maybe, just maybe, the officer was not at fault. Hence why an unedited clip is important as well as audio, that way it can be clear as to who said what and ultimately who is at fault for the entire incident.

Originally posted by Wyn Hawks
...well, gosh, i'm shocked that you're shocked, lol...

...whats even more shocking are your questions... maybe you're really young... we'll go with that presumption, okay?...

...leos can have secondary jobs... some even have their own businesses... if you're really interested in leo pay scale, heres a place to start... www.policejobsinfo.com...

...many people work 2 jobs or 2 shifts - some even work more... some do it because they have to in order to keep their family fed and housed... some do it because they're hyper, lol... some just want nice things and know they have to work hard to get em...

...where do you live that you would even question the legality of working two shifts or what kind of society would allow it?...

Perhaps the average Indian isn't shocked either to find out that it's illegal in the rest of the world to start working from age 5. But as I said a lot of US citizens are already part of the system so much you don't get that anyone with common sense would understand my questions.

Perhaps time to elaborate so that you understand why I ask these questions.

- How is he allowed to work a private job as a uniformed officer ?

This is illegal in most countries in Europe and logical as it would suggest conflict of interest of the state. Not to mention the chances of organized crime (shady bars like hooters) to misuse this authority in many ways.

- How little does this cop make that he has to have 2 jobs ?

I believe as you also stated that many people have 2 jobs. Shouldn't one job be enough to fulfill your needs? If you want more get a better education or get better at what you do.

- Is a person capable working 2 shifts and still live ?

Well a shift is 8hrs times 2 leaves 8 hours to sleep. Not sure where the living part fits in here?

- Is it legal to work two shifts ?

In most European countries it's illegal to work more than 12 hours. If it is in fact 12 hours most countries force the employee to take at least 24 hours between shifts excluding weekends.

- What kind of society allows this ?

Research proves that a human being loses concentration after a certain time. Deprivation of sleep trying to squeeze in some family/relax time, stressful job with a lot of extreme situations....

I wouldn't want the people that suppose to protect me working more than 8 hours under the above conditions, perhaps I am more focused on the quality of life rather than buying a new plasma screen.
Sounds like these "cops" are walking time-bombs. Scary....

Not sure why my questions should be related to my age. Of course it's clear you're trying to imply I'm stupid. Luckily I do not have to below myself to such level as any educated fool will take my questions as valid ones.

Perhaps it's time to wake up and go to work ?

Originally posted by Wyn Hawks
...she has dui convictions, retail theft convictions and her family admitted that she has a bad temper... maybe she has mental issues but thats not an excuse for driving intoxicated or stealing...

which has nothing to do with this incident.

...when the cop said "all you people are the same", we dont know for sure what he was implying... torres and her family took it as a racial denigration... maybe it was or maybe the cop was talking about people who whine about their bill being too high or the service being too slow in hopes of getting their bill reduced... it happens and it seems to me that was her intent...

This also does not matter. He raised the level of violence in a non-professional manner. I see nowhere where she assaulted him. She bumped him with her chest and belly - something that clearly did not threaten him. Later he flips out and attacks her. And that someone would get 7 months in prison for what happens on basketball courts, schoolyards, in bars ALL THE TIME without anyone getting sent to prison is ridiculous. What did she do to him that warrented that much time in a maximum security prison.

He clearly is a threat to society. I could see if he was dealing with a larger stronger person where he might be scared enough to think his offense was required as defense. But with her, he was safe. He could have calmly called for back up and charged her with spitting or whatever he hallucinated justified his violence.

The guy is an asshole and he attacked a much smaller woman.