Woman had 'taser put in her face' by police after she fell off bike

Boxer Charlotte Powell showing a bruise on her face following an incident involving her bike
-Credit: (Image: Liverpool Echo)


A Liverpool-based boxer has claimed she was pursued by police before having a taser pointed in her face while riding to her mum's house in north Liverpool after training. Charlotte Powell claims she injured her face and shoulder after losing control of her pedal assist bike when police began 'following her' while she was riding down Priory Road before making her way down Townsend Lane then Pinehurst Avenue.

The 25-year-old was making her way home after training at around 11.40am on Thursday September 19, when she claims a police car began to follow her. She claims to not have initially noticed the car behind her before then realising as she turned onto Pinehurst Avenue, Clubmoor, where her mum lives.

As Charlotte travelled down Pinehurst Avenue, she said she crossed onto the wrong side of the road as she made her way onto Westcombe Road but came off her bike as she turned the corner. While on the floor on the corner of Pinehurst Avenue and Westcombe Road, Charlotte claims an officer "ran towards her holding a taser."

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Charlotte, who is due to fight Emma Ruegg for the Commonwealth silver super flyweight title on Saturday, November 16, in Manchester, told the ECHO: "I was riding home from the gym on the Thursday morning and I had my beats [headphones] over my ears and had a hat on. I noticed the police car and before I knew it they started following me and I've come off my bike.

"As I'm lying there I can see this police officer running at me over the grass verge on Pinehurst Avenue with something yellow in his hand. I'm lying there thinking 'what's yellow? It's not a gun or a baton, what could he be holding?'

Charlotte, who trains at Golden Gloves in Toxteth, had her hood up while riding her bike, and claims an officer said she "looked like a drug dealer".

Merseyside Police confirmed an electric bike had been seized, with the force explaining that Charlotte is required to insure the bike in order to drive it on public roads. The force said they received no reports of any injuries in the incident. A spokesperson for Merseyside Police also confirmed a taser was drawn but not used in the incident.

A spokesperson for Merseyside Police told the ECHO: "We can confirm an electric motorbike was seized after a woman was seen riding carelessly in Anfield on Thursday 19 September. The woman was riding against the flow of traffic on Pinehurst Avenue, and then fell off the electric motorbike as she turned a corner going into a side road while the police car was at a distance on the other side of the carriageway and driving with the flow of traffic.

"Officers stopped the rider and they were detained. She has been reported for having no insurance and the electric motorbike was seized by the officer. We received no report of any injuries from incident."