A Black girl was yanked out of her automobile by a Texas police officer, slammed to the bottom, and jailed for littering after she tossed a dashing quotation from her automobile onto the road throughout a site visitors cease earlier this 12 months.
Nationwide civil rights legal professional Lee Merritt has agreed to signify the girl, Taneisha Thompson, saying the Hurst police officer used extreme power over a minor infraction that might have been enforced with a easy quotation.
“It’s traumatizing. I used to be very scared,” Thompson advised native media.
Merritt posted a video of the incident on Wednesday on his social media pages. The video, recorded by the girl’s sprint digicam, reveals her refusing to simply accept a dashing quotation from the officer, who tried handy it to her via her driver’s-side window.
When the officer tossed the quotation into her automobile, she threw it again out and advised him, “I don’t need it.”
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“That’s littering. Step out of the automobile,” the officer replied, reaching inside her car to open the door from the within.
“Don’t do this,” Thompson responded.
The officer grabbed her wrist and commenced pulling her out of the automobile whereas she repeatedly requested for his supervisor. The officer, who recognized himself as a corporal, advised her he was the supervisor, however she insisted on somebody of a better rank.
The girl’s 15-year-old son, who was sitting within the passenger seat, tried to de-escalate the state of affairs by urging his mom to take the ticket. However when the officer used each arms to tug his mom out of the automobile, the boy pleaded for him to cease.
“Please cease! Cease! Cease! Cease!” the son yelled because the officer held his mom by the neck, pulling her from the automobile.
The officer in the end dragged her out and arrested her with the help of two different officers who arrived on the scene.
“It is a fine-only ticket,” learn a caption on Merritt’s video.
“Texas regulation is designed for this to finish with a quotation and launch, not a visit to jail.”
Watch the video under.
‘An Instance of Every little thing That’s Unsuitable With American Policing’
The incident occurred on Jan. 16, based on a Hurst Police Division press launch posted Thursday on its Fb web page.
The division mentioned inside affairs investigated the encounter and cleared the officers concerned, however supplied few particulars.
On January 16, 2026, Hurst officers performed a site visitors cease that resulted in an arrest. A proper criticism was filed on January 20, 2026, alleging extreme power, and an inside investigation was opened. The claims had been decided to be unfounded, and the investigation was closed.
“That’s superior—you investigated yourselves, discovered no wrongdoing, and nonetheless received’t share particulars. Thanks for maintaining us knowledgeable,” one commenter wrote in response to the division’s put up.
Many commenters had been important of the investigation, although just a few defended the police.
“Folks know the Hurst Police Division is understood for racial profiling,” one particular person wrote.
“Taking that apart, this officer’s ego was operating issues. He threw the ticket at her, escalating the state of affairs. Fascinating that you just examine yourselves and discover the criticism unfounded. The place is the oversight?”
Merritt mentioned Thompson was touring via Hurst together with her son when she was stopped for dashing. He mentioned she believed she was being racially profiled however complied with the regulation by offering identification.
She refused to simply accept the quotation as a type of protest, prompting the officer to throw it into her automobile. She instinctively tossed it out of the window, he mentioned within the description of the video.
What occurred subsequent is an instance of all the things that’s mistaken with American policing. This officer had three clear choices:
1. Situation a second quotation for littering utilizing the data he already had.
2. Stroll away—the quotation had already been issued.
3. As a substitute, he selected to grab this mom out of her car in entrance of her little one, slam her to the bottom, significantly injure her, and take her to jail… the place she was in the end issued a quotation after which launched to the hospital for remedy of the accidents triggered in the course of the arrest.
The Hurst Police Division mentioned in its assertion that the Tarrant County District Lawyer’s Workplace is continuous to evaluation the case, including: “Due to this, we’re unable to launch extra info right now.”
Merritt acknowledged that law enforcement officials do have discretion to ask drivers to exit their vehicles, however such orders must be primarily based on authentic security considerations — not emotion or ego.
On this case, the girl was upset however by no means threatening.
“Discretion on minor offenses is meant to be guided by security and seriousness, not by an officer’s emotions,” Merritt wrote within the description of the video.
Atlanta Black Star has requested the arrest report and physique digicam footage, however Hurst police haven’t but responded.
