65-Year-Old Woman Thrown to Ground, Arrested for No Mask In Texas Bank 2 Days After Mandate Lifted

A woman was arrested for not wearing a mask inside a Galveston, Texas bank on Friday, just two days after the state-wide mask mandate was lifted.

In a shocking body cam police video, an officer approaches the woman standing in line and tells her that she has to leave for not adhering to the bank’s regulations.

“My money’s in this bank and I’m going to take it out,” she replies to the officer, as he responds, “Well, then you have to abide by the rules and you have to have a mask on.”

“Businesses have the right to refuse service, even if you’re not wearing a mask, that’s their choice,” he adds.

When she says the bank’s mask requirement is exactly why she wants to take all of her money out, the officer explains she will still need to wear a mask to take it out.

After she continues to argue with him, he says, “Listen, we’re going to do this the easy way or the hard way.”

The woman, who claims to be 65-year-old, appears to choose the latter.

Watch the disturbing arrest in the video, above.

As of Wednesday, Texas no longer requires residents to wear masks in public. Businesses are also allowed to operate at full capacity, unless COVID-19 hospitalizations in their region rise above 15% of capacity for seven straight days. However, the executive order — announced March 2 by Governor Greg Abbot — does not stop businesses from requiring employees or customers to wear masks.

Abbott said he made the decision so “businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny.”

The order comes as the seven-day average of new coronavirus deaths remains above 200.