DJ COMMUNITY
Texas police officer in pool party video identified
Texas police officer in pool party video identified
McKINNEY, Texas — The organizer of a pool party in Texas where a police officer's interactions with a 15-year-old girl were caught on video, said Sunday the police officer had "no reason" to act the way he did.
The seven-minute YouTube video shows Cpl. Eric Casebolt using profanity and aggressively throwing a 15-year-old girl in a bathing suit to the ground, face down. He then appeared to pin her down with his knees.
"He was just aggressive for no reason at all," said Tatyana Rhodes, one of the party's organizers. "It was horrible."
Along with her sister and mother, Rhodes organized and threw the pool party and cookout Friday in the Craig Ranch neighborhood of McKinney. Rhodes said everything started with a woman, who picked a fight with her, and then the police were called. McKinney police confirm they were called to the pool for a disturbance and discovered juveniles fighting and refusing to leave.
Rhodes said when police showed up, kids got scared and started running.
"Everything could've been solved way better than what it was," Rhodes said. "There were other officers that were actually nice to people."
In the video, captured by 15-year-old Brandon Brooks, Casebolt appears to be cursing kids out as he tries to round them up. As things escalate, he pulls a gun. It all leads to the incident with the girl, his knees in her back, her head to the ground.
Since the video went viral, McKinney police have called in extra dispatchers to handle incoming phone calls, asking for Casebolt to be fired.
"Our initial reaction was to place the officer on administrative leave until we can conduct a complete and thorough investigation of the incident," said McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley.
Tatyana Rhodes organized the pool party in McKinney, Texas, where a video of a police officer aggressively throwing a 15-year-old girl to the ground has been circling on social media. Rhodes said the officer was "aggressive for no reason at all." (Photo: WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth)
During a news conference Sunday, Conley said, "The McKinney Police Department is committed to treating all persons fairly under the law. We are committed to preserving the peace and safety of our community for all of our citizens."
A dozen officers responded Friday afternoon, but only one is under investigation — Casebolt, a 10-year veteran with the department.
"Watching 30 seconds or seven minutes of a clip, it doesn't tell the whole story," said Sean Toon, a resident of the Craig Ranch neighborhood. Toon said he was one of the people who called police Friday and saw the whole thing. He said he's behind the officer and his actions. He brought a supportive sign to the pool Sunday to prove it.
"I think he did what he thought he had to do to control the situation," Toon said.
"I don't know if the officers really thought about the perspective that it was showing that the people that were being ordered to the ground were people of color. All the white people were kind of walking around — not being talked to. Not being yelled at," said Pete Schulte, a Dallas defense attorney who also was a reserve McKinney officer for four years.
Schulte said it's uncertain whether Casebolt committed a crime, but he probably violated department policy.
"I'm sure that internal affairs is investigating him for conduct unbecoming of an officer based on the profanity that was used and for the use of force whether it was appropriate to throw the ... girl down on the ground and whether it was appropriate to pull his weapon," Schulte said.
"Having seen the YouTube video I am disturbed and concerned by the incident and actions depicted in the video. Our expectation as a City Council is that our police department and other departments will act professionally and with appropriate restraint relative to the situation they are faced with," said Mayor Brian Loughmiller in a written statement.
After a Texas officer's confrontation with a 15-year-old girl in McKinney, Texas was caught on video, community leaders are calling for action against the officer over his actions in the now viral video.VPC
The Rev. Al Sharpton told USA TODAY on Monday that he was alerted to watch the video by the Dallas chapter of his National Action Network (NAN). He described McKinney as indicative of a police community that has a "tendency to throw police procedures into the wind."
"I was praying it didn't end in (the officer) shooting someone," Sharpton said in a phone interview from New York. "(He) was a trigger away from yet another police shooting, which is why he should be prosecuted."
Sharpton said cellphones and technology are bringing to people's living rooms evidence of what activists have been saying all along — that some white officers have a complete disregard for black lives.
"It was horrific for me," said Aryana Rhodes, 15, who helped her sister organize the event.
You can see the younger Rhodes in the video, trying to help her friend as she pleads for her mom. She believes it was that plea that seemed to set the officer off.
"She has the freedom to speak and what she did was nothing wrong," Aryana Rhodes said. "The officer was just out of control."
The family of the 15-year-old girl declined to speak on camera at the advice of their attorney, but the girl's mother said earlier Sunday that she was horrified by what she saw on the video.
Sharpton said he is considering holding a rally in McKinney as early as this weekend to demand that the officer who pulled the gun be fired.
Protesters rallied at Comstock Elementary School in McKinney Monday evening, carrying signs urging an end to police brutality and justice for McKinney teens.
Contributing: Jason Whitely, WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth; Russell Motley, USA TODAY.
Views: 86
Comment
About
NASTYMIXX RADIO
JOIN NASTYMIXX.COM!!!
NASTYMIXXSTORE
Badge
© 2024 Created by Janelle.
Powered by
You need to be a member of NASTYMIXX to add comments!
Join NASTYMIXX