A topless woman who allegedly threw burning cigarettes at protesters in Nashville has finally been arrested, authorities said. The woman, who was originally arrested as a "Jane Doe," has been charged with indecent exposure after police found her hurling profanities several blocks from the Tennessee State Capitol building.
However, it is still not clear what made the woman target the demonstrators and the police are interrogating her to know further details. Protesters have been camping in Nashville against police brutality for more than two months now and untoward incidents have often been reported during demonstrations.
An Act of Rage
A 54-year-old woman approached protesters outside the state Capitol on Wednesday afternoon and started throwing cigarettes at them. She then ran off to avoid arrest. However, officers started chasing her and after a while she was located at 2nd Avenue North and Commerce Street.
Authorities said that she was still topless at that time and was hurling abuses, screaming and cursing. She was then arrested but it took a long struggle for the officers to bring her in control before putting her inside the police vehicle. However, it is still not clear what made her throw burning cigarettes at the demonstrators, which is being investigated by police.
Angry and Agitated
The police is still unsure if the woman is mentally unstable and why she went topless. Demonstrators in Nashville have been protesting outside the Capitol building against police brutality particularly against the black since the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor more than two months ago. Protesters have been calling for defunding of police but the state legislature has instead opted to criminalize the demonstrations, which have often taken ugly turn.
However, this is the first time that a topless woman was spotted near demonstrators but here she was furious at them and tried to injure them by throwing burning cigarettes. Authorities are still unsure if her intention was to disrupt the demonstration. The incident happened on a day the state's lawmakers passed a controversial bill targeting the protesters, making it a felony to camp on state property, including the Capitol grounds.
Police has chosen not to release her name because of the misdemeanor charge against her. The woman has been booked into the Metro jail on charges of indecent exposure and could face additional charges. She has been held on a $1,000 bond.
