Hurst police release bodycam after viral arrest video was edited amid excessive force allegation
By: -----
The Hurst Police Department released new video Thursday from officer body-worn cameras of a traffic stop from January in which a woman claims officers used excessive force against her.
Taneisha Thompson posted her cellphone video of the encounter after it happened, which circulated widely on social media. In the video, an officer can be seen pulling Thompson out of her car by the neck. Moments later, several officers can be seen pulling Thompson to the ground to arrest her.
In response to growing community concern, Hurst PD released bodycam videos from three officers involved. Hurst Assistant Police Chief Adam Hooton said in a statement accompanying the videos that Thompson's video was edited and captured only a small portion of her interactions with the officer who made the traffic stop, who he only identified as Cpl. Morgan.
The new video shows Morgan pulling over Thompson's vehicle for going 40 mph in a school zone with a 25-mph speed limit. The video shows Morgan asking Thompson for her driver license and proof of insurance, which she provides. Thompson can then be seen telling the officer she was heading home, but refusing to answer where she was coming from. Thompson denied she was in a hurry and said didn't see a school zone.
Morgan returned to his patrol vehicle to verify Thompson's license. Two minutes later, the video shows he went back to Thompson's window to return her license and told her he was issuing a speeding ticket. Morgan and Thompson also have an exchange about her lack of a visible registration sticker.
Morgan then returned to his vehicle one more time, and when he brought Thompson the citation for speeding, the video shows Thompson refusing to accept it. Morgan then dropped the ticket in her vehicle, but Thompson threw it out and tried to roll up her window.
Criminologist Alex del Carmen said the moment Morgan tossed the ticket into the car was a turning point, calling it "where this went south." He said Thompson throwing the citation out the window constituted another offense, but also noted the officer had discretion -- including writing another ticket or walking away -- before choosing to escalate.
At that point, the video shows Morgan opening the door and putting his hands on Thompson's arm, demanding she get out of the vehicle. After Thompson kept refusing, Morgan dragged her out of the SUV.
By that point other officers arrived, and their bodycam videos show them help take Thompson to the ground and place her in handcuffs.
"Cpl. Morgan acted in full accordance with the law and the department's policies and the department stands firmly behind his actions," said Hurst Police Chief Billy Keadle in a video statement.
"It's never our intent to use force, however in this situation, force became necessary because of Thompson's behavior and refusal to follow lawful commands," Keadle said.
Court records show the Tarrant County District Attorney's office has charged Thompson with resisting arrest. In addition, she received speeding and littering citations.