https://www.dallasnews.com/news/cri...drop-teens-charges-exchange-moms-video-arrest
Activists say Arlington police promised to drop charges against two teenagers in exchange for their mother's video of their arrests, which appeared on Facebook overnight.
Next Generation Action Network, a Dallas-based organization that lobbies against police violence, posted the video of the incident, reporting that it occurred July 3.
The post claims the two boys were charged without any evidence: a 14-year-old with burglary of a habitation and a 16-year-old with interfering with official police duties. The boys were released eight hours later, Next Generation says.
According to the boys' mother, Latasha Nelson, the police officer stopped her son Trayvon on his way home in the Addison Park Apartments complex. The officers were investigating a vehicle burglary.
Dominique Alexander, founder of the activist group, said at a news conference there was no evidence Trayvon was involved.
"They just picked the first one that they saw that was black and that had a backpack on," Alexander said.
Arlington police said, however, that the teen they detained matched the description given by witnesses of one of two teens who had broken into a vehicle.
"The video shows only a portion of what took place and a thorough investigation is being conducted to obtain all the facts regarding the incident," Arlington police said in a statement Thursday morning.
Police have not released the officer's name.
According to Nelson, when she arrived outside, at first the officer was calm, but then things escalated.
The officer starting looking in Trayvon's backpack and pulled out a Bible, she said. He asked Trayvon if it was his and whether he read it, and Trayvon responded yes.
Then the officer "smirked and threw the Bible to the ground," Nelson said.
It's unclear what happened before the footage begins, but in its first moments, Nelson can be heard asking where the officers are taking Trayvon, who was put in a patrol car.
The officer responds that he won't tell her because she's being uncooperative.
"I'm not uncooperative," Nelson says. "All I just said to you is, 'He is a good kid. ' And you said that he's not going to cooperate. You're going to ask him if he's going to cooperate and if he's a tough guy? He's 14 years old."
The officer says he's looking for a reason to release the teen but isn't finding one.
"You're not finding it because you want somebody not to cooperate," Nelson says. "What do y'all got to do? Do y'all just constantly have to kill our kids for y'all to just sit here and think that their life is valuable?"
The officer starts to walk away, and the patrol vehicle pulls out of view.
After she follows the officer, he says over his radio that he's dealing with a mother who's interfering with his investigation.
Something appears to happen off camera right behind the officer. He whips around and pushes her 16-year-old son, Broderick, to the ground by the back of his head.
An image from video posted on Facebook by Next Generation Action Network shows an Arlington police officer handcuffing a 16-year-old shortly after his 14-year-old brother's arrest on a burglary charge. The incident occurred July 3, according to the organization's Facebook post.
An image from video posted on Facebook by Next Generation Action Network shows an Arlington police officer handcuffing a 16-year-old shortly after his 14-year-old brother's arrest on a burglary charge. The incident occurred July 3, according to the organization's Facebook post.
The officer briefly speaks to the mother before he grabs the boy's head, pushes him by his face to the ground, points at him and pulls him by the arm to handcuff him.
"You just slapped him in his face," the mother said as her son can be heard asking why he's being handcuffed. "He's 16 years old. You didn't have to slap him in his face."
Nelson and her attorney Kim Cole contend that Broderick did not touch the officer.
Next Generation is "outraged by these actions" and is asking residents to call police to demand that all charges be dropped immediately and Nelson's cellphone be returned. They also want the officer to be investigated and terminated, and for the case to be handled immediately.
"We do not want this blue wall of silence," Alexander said. "We want transparency. We want justice in this case."
Full statement regarding the misconduct allegation against an Arlington Police Officer.
Posted by Arlington Police Department on Thursday, July 13, 2017
Arlington police plan to interview the family and officers, saying they want to keep "transparency with our community by doing a complete and thorough review."
"As with any allegation of misconduct we take this seriously," the department said in a statement Thursday afternoon. "This is a formal investigation and will require time to complete and we ask that our investigators are given the opportunity to review all of the evidence."
The involved officer will remain on duty, police said. Police said they couldn't release more information about the incident because of the ages of the people involved.
