Posted on 07/22/2015 7:03:16 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Texas Department of Public Safety has released the dashcam video of the arrest of Sandra Bland. The almost hour long video features the first interaction between Bland and Trooper Brian Encinia after she’s pulled over for not using her turn signal. It seems to be going all right until Encinia tells Bland she seems irritated and Bland confirms it. He then tells Bland to put out her cigarette, but she refuses to because she’s in her own car. Encinia orders her to get out, opens her door, and reaches in. It’s tough to see if he’s trying to pull her out, but it’s possible he was due to the way he’s positioned. Encinia then pulls a Taser and points it at her. Bland gets out and walks around the back of the car, with her phone in her hand. She’s probably recording her interaction with Encinia, which is her right. Bland slams the phone down on the car’s trunk after being ordered to do so. The full video is below and is Not Safe For Work due to language.
The two do get into a fight almost 13 minutes into the video, but it happens off-camera. Cell phone video posted up on YouTube only shows the aftermath.
Some details of the fight are in Encinia’s arrest report.
Bland was placed in handcuffs for officer safety. Bland began swinging her elbows at me and then kicked my right leg in the shin…Force was used to subdue Bland to the ground to which Bland continued to fight back.
The problem is there’s no way of knowing if Encinia is telling the truth because the report doesn’t mention the Taser. The Texas Rangers are trying to figure out why Encinia failed to mention it, but a body camera could have cleared this up. It also could confirm whether Bland’s claims that her head was shoved to the ground are true. It’s important to note Encinia was acting within his authority when he gave her a “lawful order” to get out of the car. It’s part of the Texas Transportation Code, although it doesn’t say if those who disobey get charged with anything. It may just be a fine. But DPS made the right call to put him on desk duty. Director Steve McCraw admitted Encinia didn’t handle the situation well.
A DPS state trooper has an obligation to exhibit professionalism and be courteous throughout the entire contact and that wasn’t the case here.
It’s obvious Encinia lost his cool, and only he and God know why. Bland did mouth off to him, but there’s no reason for him to yell back. The way he handled everything was wrong and it was just stupid of him to tell Bland “good” when she claims to have epilepsy. This doesn’t necessarily absolve Bland of guilt because she shouldn’t have mouthed off to him. But Encinia made things worse by yelling back after she wouldn’t put her cigarette out. He also escalated how things were by getting up in her face when Bland wouldn’t obey his command. Bland may not have even known the “lawful order” rule. I’ve lived in Texas almost my entire life and didn’t even know it. I’d also obey a law enforcement officer’s orders, but that’s how I was raised. Bland may not have been, but I don’t know that. She still shouldn’t have been pulled over in the first place, but not everyone agrees with me. That’s fine, I don’t expect everyone to.
There’s no denying law enforcement officers have a tough, extremely stressful job. There are plenty of good cops out there, and Encinia may be one of them. But there’s no way to defend what he did during the traffic stop. It’s just wrong and unprofessional. Encinia probably isn’t a racist; just someone who lost his temper when he came in contact with someone who was disrespectful. Bland really should be alive today, and hopefully the investigation will clear everything up. It’s possible she did commit suicide in the Waller County Jail. Everyone appears to be open about what’s going on and that’s a good thing. It’s just really disappointing how Encinia reacted and that there wasn’t a body camera to show the rest of the story.
They both escalated the situation. Why was she being so defiant when being issued a warning without disputing what she did?
She was an activist. Being a pain in the ass is what her kind do.
I don’t think the cop’s commands really had anything to do with cigarettes. He just wanted to boss her around.
If she wasn’t smoking, but was, say, wearing a hat, he probably would have ordered her to take her hat off.
Well, by death, apparently...
For that action, she was offered a warning with no fine. If she had signed it, it would have ended there.
This LEO has been selected by the Governor, whose hand has reached down and has taken a small town thug and made him Lord of a 100 mile stretch of Interstate.
Sarcasm indicates some degree of humor. Nobody is laughing. Public officials MUST be held to a higher standard, and face more rigorous punishments. (I'm for drawing and quartering, first offence, but I'm a traditionalist.)
Short man syndrome.
Fixed it for you
Yes, she should have been ticketed for failure to signal and that should have been the end of it.
No, the officer shouldn’t have told her to get out of the car or anything that followed that order. His chief should have sent his butt walking out of the station with a pink slip that same day. There is no excuse for his behavior.
No, she shouldn’t have been in jail for 3 days.
No, she, alone, killed herself.
This is not passing the smell test.
It’s almost looking like she was trying to set up a confrontation?
I did to, and basically agree with your assessment. The cop was polite and professional with his previous stop and this one began the same way. She was agitated, confrontational from the onset and states as much. Pretty clear she was trying to provoke an incident.
" She had her foul mouth and Obama’s brothers and sisters on her side,…"
Yep.
Listening to the audio, it seemed like the officer was trying to push her buttons.
Nearly anything is “potentially” a weapon.
And there's the biggest problem: They no longer NEED cause. They have a badge and a gun. That is all they need. You WILL comply.
An unfortunate mix of 2 already agitated people. Once the officer started being overly aggressive, his over-blown sense of authority was not going to let him back off. It escalated.
Yes, she was mouthy and rude, but being told to put out her cigarette and being pulled out of her car was over the top.
For a turn signal violation?
As an aside, people don’t commit suicide over traffic issues and a stint in jail. She was either already psychologically unstable or it wasn’t suicide.
Good example of how something routine can go seriously bad in no time at all.
Again, the big question is this — WHY WAS SHE IN JAIL FOR 3 DAYS ( AND HOW LONG WOULD SHE BEEN IN JAIL FOR HAD SHE NOT DIED )?
This is the question that screams out for an answer.
Well, if she was, the cop most certainly (and unprofessionally) obliged her.
IMHO, the escalation began when the cop ordered her out of the car. Evidently, in Texas a cop has the right to issue that order. But I see no reason for that order, none at all. The cop chose to escalate the situation. It's on him.
I saw part of it. One scarey, crazy cop.
I see no cause to even stop her. Failing to signal a lane change?? Have never heard 0f anyone getting a ticket for that.
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