There is more outrage from African-American lawmakers today after a new video and recent statistics have surfaced regarding the use of taser guns on African-American drivers.

Information obtained by Public Safety shows patrol officers tased 17 drivers since last fall, 11 of whom are African-American. One of the videos is from a dashcamera that shows the traffic stop of a 24-year old Walterboro woman who disobeyed an officer and was then struck with a taser gun.

In the video, a officer R.L. Hardee and Yolanda Williams get into a verbal exchange. Hardee asks Williams to see her driver’s license after she was stopped for not wearing her seatbelt. Williams then tells Hardee that she is late to work. Afterwards, Hardee tells Williams that “I’ve got to see your driver’s license or you won’t be going to work.”

“Ma’am I need to see your driver’s license,” Hardee says in another request. “I’m gonna call somebody before I do that for you,” Williams replies.

Hardee asks Williams 21 times and after the 22nd and repeated attempts to get her hands behind her back, the taser gun is applied.

“Get off me,” Williams says in the video.

“Put your hands behind your back,” Hardee demands. “Ma’am, put your hands behind your back now.” Hardee then zaps Williams, who screams, with the stun gun.

To find out exactly how many times Highway patrol used a stun gun on African-Americans, News Channel 7 requested the data from Public Safety weeks ago. Of the 11 African-Americans who were zapped, three were stunned by African-American officers.

Some lawmakers like Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter says that is enough to establish a trend of abuse.

“Regardless of the size of the number when you see that redominate factor there, the majority have been people of color,” Hunter said. “I think what that suggests is that there is a pattern of abusage as far as people of color, even if there are only 17.”

USC Criminal Justice Professor Geoff Alpert disagrees.

“The numbers are too small, without the context,” said Alpert. “You would have to look at the situations wher a taser was justified to be used.”

Cobb-Hunter has not seen the video and doesn’t discount the stun guns if they are used properly. She says that the stun gun numbers transcends a troubled agency that needs reform.

Just last month, the agency’s top two officials resigned after Governor Mark Sanford reviewed video of an officer using a racial slur. The officer did not get fired and this is just the latest criticism of an agency that has more problems that it seems to avoid.

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