CHATSWORTH, Ga. — A Chatsworth Police Department officer on Friday used a Taser on an 87-year-old Syrian woman who does not speak English, who the family said has dementia and was cutting wildflowers in a vacant lot on the property of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Murray County.

According to an incident report from the police department, Martha Al-Bishara, Chatsworth, was charged with criminal trespass and obstruction of an officer. A family member told police Al-Bishara has dementia and that she “wanders the area looking for dandelions and collects them with a knife.”

Chatsworth Police Chief Josh Etheridge said Officer Steven Marshall was justified in using a Taser on Al-Bishara when she didn’t drop her “steak” knife after repeated commands from both Marshall and Etheridge. Etheridge, who was at the scene during the incident, said Al-Bishara was tased after walking toward the officers with the knife in her hand. Etheridge threw his pocketknife to the ground to illustrate what he wanted her to do. Etheridge said the incident lasted about 10 minutes.

But a family member of Al-Bishara, who is a former Dalton Police Department officer, said the elderly woman wasn’t a threat to anyone.

“She had a small kitchen knife and was cutting dandelions in a lot next to her house,” said great-nephew Solomon Douhne. “She was not threatening any kids at the Boys and Girls Club. You don’t tase an 87-year-old woman. She was not a threat. If anything she was confused and didn’t know what was going on. It was a ridiculous turn of events.”

Etheridge said Al-Bishara was in a fenced-in portion of the property, but Douhne said the property is not completely fenced in as the portion which is adjacent to Al-Bishara’s property has no fence line. Etheridge said officers have told her before to stay off of the property.

But Douhne said that is no excuse.

“This is ridiculous,” he said. “She is a fragile old lady who moves extremely slow. She wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. If she was going after kids and acting in an aggressive manner, if that were the case, sure, you taser her. But she wasn’t.”