Defiant Pregnant Lady Tasered But It's Hard to Feel Sorry for Her

by Cynthia Dermody June 6, 2012 at 4:20 PM

taser gun

I'm not in favor of tasers being used on pregnant women at all, but I'm also quite opposed to pregnant women using handicapped parking spaces when they are technically not handicapped. No, pregnancy is not a handicap. It might feel that way on your crappiest, back-achy, swollen ankle days, but no -- it is not a disabling condition that entitles you to special accommodations, nor is it even a privilege. From the way it sounds, 30-year-old Tiffany Rent really brought the situation outside a Chicago Walgreens that led to cops tasering her chest on herself, sorry to say.

Just guessing what happened here. Rent had two kids in the car, a 9-year-old and 3-year-old, that she could simply not leave alone while she ran into the drug store for lord-knows-what. So she parked in the blue outlined section that was probably closer to the door so she could keep an eye on her kids while she ran in and out. Guilty myself of leaving the kids for just a minute to grab something, but never using a handicapped spot. Having family members who genuinely need those spots, that irks me beyond anything. It's lazy, inconsiderate, and illegal.

Cops were only doing their job trying to ticket Rent for parking illegally, and even warned her they were going to use the stun gun if she tried to drive off after defiantly tearing up her ticket. But she continued resist and use vulgar language, according to reports.

Now Rent is ranting that she worried the police put her baby in danger (even though the baby supposedly checked out fine at the hospital). Would have been nice if she considered that before she started kicking up a ruckus over a parking ticket.

As a former pregnant woman myself, I sympathize with the daily challenges of being a second- or even third-time expectant mom. I think people should give up their seat for pregnant women on the subway or bus. It's just the right thing to do. But pulling the pregnancy card to break the law is just not cool. And it's obnoxious.

Anyone disagree?

Image via hermanturnip/Flickr

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cynthia Dermody

is The Stir's Managing Editor because somebody has to be.

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Comments 120

Hypatia814

June 7, 2012 at 11:29 PM

Ok so this woman is a bit nuts but she is hormonal. Did she deserve to be tased, NO. Did she deserved to be arrested YES. I was offered ableto get a HC spot while I was pregnant but I did not want it. Instead I basically stayed home for the most part because of my tiredness throughout my entire pregnancy and barely drove anywhere. Had I been working I cerainly would have gotten and used one.

As for the author of this piece you need to get a life. Some women do have actual issues with pregnancy and for you to be so out of touch is pathetic and anti-feminist. To actually admit to leaving your kids in the car... WOW what a lazy POS you are. I hope someone you actually know chews you out of this piece and you learn a lesson. But I dont think you will because you will probably be too busy doing a jig or a reel waiting for cupcakes to be ready all while you brainstorm about your next piece.

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Nonmember comment from CopWife

June 7, 2012 at 11:37 PM

My husband is a Chicago police officer in one of the worst areas and let me just say none of you have any idea the kind d savages he and all cpd deal with. This woman is just the same as all of the animals. When you see the kind of things they do every day and night you don't take chances. And furthermore this woman was warned she would be tased if she drove away and guess what...she CHOSE not to listen. She is just another piece of shit looking for a payout from the city.

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Nonmember comment from pearl

June 8, 2012 at 4:51 AM

I don't usually defend folks throwing tantrums but this sounds so pathetic. A poor, stressed-out pregant woman, w/ two young, scared kids, tazed? Fetal injury, anoxia & even death possibilities from electrical shock from tazing. Just mail her the ticket.

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Facebook comment from Michelle Gilbert

June 8, 2012 at 10:49 AM

I have to agree with the out of line mom on this one. They had her plate number, the ticket was written and done. What good did it do to taser her? Over the top. She'd have gotten a nice fat fine for not paying the ticket eventually which would have helped my tax dollars stretch a bit further. Now? The cop is looking down the barrel of a lawsuit that will instead cost the tax payers mucho bucks.

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Facebook comment from Danielle Westvang

June 8, 2012 at 1:14 PM

The comments to this article just goes to show that people have a disregard for police, and reading the article completely. The reason the woman was tasered wasn't because she tore up the ticket, it was because she attempted to drive off while the officers were talking to her. That IS an offense, and she's lucky that they didn't incarcerate her. What the article didn't say is whether the officers knew she was pregnant. Not every woman that IS pregnant looks it. She should have also received a ticket for leaving her young children unsupervised in the vehicle. Yes, she did bring it on herself. To the morons that thought handicapped parking was stupid - just wait until you are handicapped. The handicapped have just as much right to go shopping as the next person does. Bottom line is that this woman was too lazy to walk herself and her children into the store from an appropriate parking space. Maybe next time she'll walk a few extra steps, it might do her some good.

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Nonmember comment from Honu100

June 8, 2012 at 2:24 PM

In any situation, people have a choice. In this case, the pregnant woman chose not to keep her composure and acted belligerently which resulted in her predicament. She acted without thinking of the consequences to her unborn child, herself or the other children in her car. The police officer also had a choice and failed to use common sense when he used a taser on an obviously upset and irrational person regardless of the gender. People need to use their brain more and be less impulse. Common sense is free. People should use it.

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Nonmember comment from Raymond Torres

June 8, 2012 at 3:02 PM

she was wrong but to get tasered over a parking ticket come on now

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Nonmember comment from JC

June 8, 2012 at 6:12 PM

Where is everyone getting the idea that Tasers can kill a healthy person? The only times a Taser has "killed" someone, was when that person was already close to death (malnourished/dehydrated drug addicts) or when the Taser was deployed improperly (trigger held for a minute or more). Tasers are considered less-than-lethal force, NOT deadly force. Our head of surgery was hooked up to an EKG and had himself tased before he allowed security in the ED to carry Tasers. The only 'blip' was right before he was hit, and even he attributed that to nervous anticipation.

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Nonmember comment from Tiffany

June 10, 2012 at 8:07 PM

Just goes to show our police are becoming pansies, just like all our American men. A GROWN MAN police officer can't just write a ticket and leave. Instead, he gets "huffy puffy mad" like a spoiled brat so he decides, "I'll show her!" and also gives the two little children nightmares that night by taking down their mother with a Taser. What a LOSER of a man. And, I agree about handicap spots. I'm getting sick of seeing grossly fat people getting out of their cars with a "handicap" sticker. Oh, sure their back hurts-- but if they weren't carrying around an extra 100 pounds, maybe they wouldn't have a back that was aching. Of course, none of this excuses the mother from using filthy language in front of her children. Shame on everyone in this case.

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