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Source: Karen Bleier / Getty

 

***Editor’s Note: The video below contains graphic language and violence.

Police-body-camera video and internal documents of the violent arrest of a Fort Worth, Texas, woman have been recently obtained by the family’s attorney and were exclusively shared with The Root.

As HelloBeautiful previously reported, last month, Jacqueline Craig and one of her teenage daughters were wrestled to the ground and arrested one by one with a stun gun held against their backs by Officer William MartinCraig explained to the white officer that a white man choked her 7-year-old son after he accused him of littering on the street. The only footage that was available at the time of the arrest was taken by a bystander’s camera phone and shared on Facebook. It instantly went viral and caused a public uproar.

In the video below, Martin was disinterested in looking into the actual assault, but had the audacity to ask Craig, “Why don’t you teach your son not to litter?”

According to the Craig’s lawyer, Lee Merritt, he received the Fort Worth Police Department internal documents and the video recording from the officer’s bodycam from a trusted police source, says The Root.  However, it’s important to point out that under Texas law, the Craig’s lawyers were legally entitled to the complete investigative file, records and recordings of this incident and any officers involved. Yet Merritt claims that the FWPD denied their numerous requests.

And by the looks of it, this newly obtained video shows more than the original footage did and even goes against the statements that Martin gave about his actions. Initially, Martin claimed that one of the daughters, Brea Hymond, pulled her arms away and resisting arrest, a statement that the video refutes. He also said that Craig refused to identify herself, which the footage also contradicts.

The Root wrote that the video shows Martin using excessive force to get one of Craig’s daughters to answer his questions, twisting the teen’s handcuffed arms above her head. In addition, Martin is seen kicking Craig’s handcuffed 15-year-old daughter seconds after she attempts to get out of his car.

In a statement Merritt recently issued, he said “By manipulating, delaying and denying the release of bodycam video, police departments embolden bad cops to brazenly violate civil rights in high definition, confident that these images are not likely to be released to the public. Just as this video from Martin was not willfully released by the FWPD.”

And Merritt is clear: They have serious demands for the FWPD .

“Fire and charge Officer Martin with assault, perjury, false arrest and official corruption; charge the neighbor with felony assault of a minor; and drop the charges against the Craig family.”

As of now, Martin have never been punished for his actions, despite having a history of brutality against civilians. However Craig and her daughter were arrested soon after the incident and later released from custody. Thankfully, the charges against them dropped, but they never should have been arrested in the first place.

This is a developing story. We will provide updates as they become available.

RELATED NEWS:

Texas Mother Calls Police Because Son Was Choked, Officer Arrests Her Instead

Police More Likely To Kill Blacks, New Study Says

Police Beat Black Doctoral Candidate After Suspecting Him Of Stealing His Own Car

#JacquelineCraig: Leaked Bodycam Video Shows Cop’s Violent Arrest of Mom Seeking Help  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com