{UAH} A black woman called 911 because she was afraid of a police officer. A violent arrest followed.
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8:36 AM |
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Nervous and distraught, Earledreka White did the only thing she thought she could to allay her fears after being stopped by a police officer in Houston: She called 911 to report the traffic stop and asked for police backup.
White's voice was so shaky that she stuttered when trying to give the emergency dispatcher their location, a medical plaza parking lot outside the Loop 610 near downtown Houston. Next to her stood an officer with Houston's Metro Police Department, waiting while she made the call in the doorway of her sedan.
"He's saying I crossed over a solid line and I did not," White told the dispatcher. "I got out of the car to ask him what the offense was. He raised his voice at me and threatened to arrest me. So I'm really confused. And I would like another officer to come out here.
"My heart is racing. I'm really afraid."
[A black firefighter received a racist, threatening letter. Then came a suspicious fire.]
Less than two minutes later, the officer reached for his handcuffs, then for White's left wrist.
Soon, the two began shouting as White begged him to stop.
After a violent struggle, the 28-year-old African American woman was arrested, sobbing.
The charge? Resisting arrest.
Video of the March 31 traffic stop has become another Rorschach test for people to calibrate their divided views on police practices in the United States.
Attorneys for White said the footage clearly shows the Houston police officer escalated the confrontation, unprompted. As the video spread online Thursday, some said the incident was yet another example of excessive police force being used against African Americans.
The Metro Police Department has cleared the officer of any wrongdoing and said his actions were valid. Still others criticized White for getting out of her vehicle in the first place.
[How Philando Castile's killing changed the way blacks talk about surviving traffic stops]
White's attorneys released video of the incident to the Houston Chronicle, which published the footage along with audio from the 911 call this week.
The newspaper described how the situation escalated after White was stopped:
White then tells the dispatcher she is being "harassed." At that point, according to the combined audio and video, the officer grabs her and tries to pin her arms behind her back, unleashing a minutes-long struggle with White screaming for him to stop.
"This man is twisting my arm," she tells the dispatcher. "Please get your hands off of me. What is wrong with you? … Why are you doing this? I haven't done anything."
She eventually can be heard breaking down into sobs.
"Oh my God, oh, my God," she says. "Stop. Please, stop. Can you stop doing this?"
"I was shocked. I was absolutely shocked," Zack Fertitta, an attorney who is handling White's case pro bono, told The Washington Post on Thursday. "This is a clear violation."
The officer, identified in records as Gentian Luca, is a three-year member of the force, according to the Metro Police Department. Fertitta said there was no reason for Luca to arrest White, who reportedly was stopped for crossing a double white line while driving.
"He's the one that caused the confrontation and then he claims resisting arrest," Fertitta said. "Yes, she did get out of her vehicle, which I would advise against anybody ever doing. However, it's not a crime to get out of your vehicle at a traffic stop.
"It's not as if she was on a roadside. She was in a parking lot. She had her hands clearly visible. There was nothing in her hands. There was no danger for this officer. And she immediately got back in her car."
White spent two days in jail on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest and was released on a $1,000 bail.
[Korryn Gaines, cradling child and shotgun, is fatally shot by police]
Less than a week after the traffic stop, White, of Houston, filed a formal complaint with Metro Police, alleging several counts of misconduct against Luca.
In the complaint, White said Luca "used excessive force, was rude and disrespectful when talking to her, threatened her with 'I will Tazer your ass,' " and then arrested her "for no reason."
White further alleged Luca had pulled her hair and wrestled her onto the car, causing her neck soreness and severe migraines afterward.
Over several weeks, an internal investigation reviewed all surveillance video, as well as written statements from four other law enforcement officials who arrived at the scene after White was taken into custody. On May 13, Metro police issued findings from its investigation and cleared Luca of all alleged violations.
Metro Police Chief Vera Bumpers said Luca was acting within the bounds of the law.
"The perception does look negative, but once you talk to the officer, once we reviewed everything … there were answers to what transpired," she said.
During Luca's three years as a Metro Police officer, he has never been disciplined, suspended or put on probation, department spokesman Jerome Gray said. Luca was not placed on leave during the investigation and remains on duty with Metro Police, according to Gray.
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