SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Video: Atlanta mall cop tases violent mom
Feb 4, 2013, 12:44 PM | Updated: 1:31 pm


Warning: This video contains strong language.
Dori is praising an Atlanta mall cop for standing his ground Friday when a woman took a swing at him in front of her children.
Darien Long wears a camera around his neck during his patrols around the Atlanta mall where he works as a security guard. On Friday, Darien was trying to keep a group of loud, unruly children from coming back into the mall when he was approached by one of the two mothers of the group of at least six or seven young children.
The video shows the mom hurling insults as the children join in, egged on by their mothers. As the mothers hurl racial slurs, the children shout “You gay, you gay.” The unnamed mother starts pushing up against Darien, who tells her to “back up.” When the woman finally took a swing at Darien, he tased her.
later that the two moms in the video were arrested and between them.
Darien said later that he was just doing his part to make the neighborhood safe for families and businesses.
“What you need to do is clean up the neighborhood so that other businesses can come in and then downtown Atlanta can prosper,” said Darien in an interview with a local CBS reporter.
But the headlines in some of the first reports told a far different story, accusing Darien of attacking the mom.
“The headline: ,'” said Dori.
Now the community has banded together to create to thank Darien for his service and to show their support.
“People are standing up for this security guard,” said Dori.