A criminal probe has been launched into the arrest of a black woman who was pulled over by a state trooper for a traffic offense and ended up dead in a jail cell three days later, according to a report.
Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis told the Wall Street Journal that he is investigating whether Trooper Brian Encinia violated any criminal laws during the arrest.
“I didn’t like what I saw when I saw the video of the trooper’s actions, but I’ll reserve judgment,” Mathis told the paper.
It was unclear if the trooper, who was placed on administrative duties, had hired an attorney.
The development comes as law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged edits of the dashcam video of the traffic stop for a minor infraction that escalated into the arrest of Sandra Bland, 28.
The footage shows a shouting match between the trooper and Bland – with the cop holding a stun gun and threatening her for refusing to step out of her car in Hempstead, Texas, about 60 miles from Houston.
The 52-minute video – which was posted to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s YouTube channel – has raised questions about suspicious parts in which a pedestrian and passing car are cut or repeat themselves as audio is uninterrupted, NBC News reported.
“I will have to check in the morning. I can’t speculate without looking at the CD,” department spokesman Tom Vinger told the network about the original recording.
At the 25:05 mark, a tow truck driver is seen walking toward Trooper Brian Encinia’s cruiser. Fifteen seconds later, he reappears and completes the same walk as Encinia is heard speaking uninterrupted.
The alleged edits were first reported by journalist Ben Norton, NBC News reported.
Encinia arrested Bland on a charge of assaulting a public servant. She was found dead three days later – on July 13.
An autopsy found that Bland died of apparent “self-inflicted asphyxiation,” but authorities said they are investigating her death as if it were a homicide — which is a routine procedure, NBC News reported.
Her family and supporters dispute that she killed herself with a plastic garbage bag.
The video shows Encinia stopping Bland, a civil rights activist, in her car for failing to signal a lane change.
“You OK?” he asks her.
“I’m waiting on you, this is your job,” Bland responds. “I’m waiting on you.”
“You seem very irritated,” Encinia says after giving her a written warning.
Bland says she’s annoyed because she changed lanes to make way for his car.
Encinia then tells her to get out of the car after she refuses to put out her cigarette.
“I don’t want to step out of my car,” Bland says, adding, “I refuse to talk to you other than to identify myself.”
“I am going to yank you out of here,” the cop says before telling her she is under arrest.
“Get out of the car!” he orders before pulling out his Taser when she asks why she is being arrested.
“Get out of the car! I will light you up!” he yells, prompting her to get out of the car.
The video doesn’t show the actual arrest, during which she is heard telling him he was hurting her wrists.
“You are yanking around,” Encinia says as she yells profanities. “When you pull away from me, you’re resisting arrest.”
He claimed in the arrest affidavit that she kicked him in the shin while being “combative and uncooperative.” She was charged with assaulting a public servant.
Encinia was placed on administrative duties due to “violations of procedures regarding traffic stops and the department’s courtesy policy.”
“Regardless of the situation — it doesn’t matter where it happens — a DPS state trooper has got an obligation to exhibit professionalism and be courteous … and that wasn’t the case in this situation,” said Steven McCraw, the department director.
The case has taken off on social media, with hashtags of #JusticeForSandy and #WhatHappenedToSandyBland generating buzz
Others referred to #SandySpeaks, the hashtag she used in Facebook posts in which she wrote about police brutality – saying she had a calling from God to speak out against racism and injustice.
Bland had several run-ins with the law in Illinois and Texas over the past 10 years, including traffic stops and two arrests for drunk driving, one of which was dismissed, The Associated Press reported.
Supporters said she had been upbeat and looking forward to a new job at Prairie View A&M University, where she graduated in 2009.
A Texas Rangers probe into her death is being supervised by the FBI.
With Post Wires