Dallas
The footage was provided to The Associated Press on Thursday from attorneys representing Jacqueline Craig, who had called police last month to report that a neighbor choked her 7-year-old son for allegedly littering in his yard. The attorneys also provided internal affairs documents showing the officer had been disciplined for a previous use of force complaint when he allegedly used a Taser on a black teenager to end a foot chase.
Police spokeswoman Tamara Valle said the department could not authenticate the video or the disciplinary report at this time.
Also on Thursday, Fort Worth police said they had dropped all charges against Craig and her 19-year-old daughter, Brea Hymond, who had recorded the interactions between Craig and Officer William Martin in a separate video they posted on Facebook in December. Attorneys for Craig said at a Thursday afternoon news conference that charges also had been dropped against Craig’s 15-year-old daughter, Jacques Craig.
The daughters were charged with resisting arrest and interfering with public duties. Jacqueline Craig was charged with resisting arrest, failure to identify herself as a fugitive and three outstanding traffic warrants.
The AP doesn’t typically identify juveniles accused of crimes, but the family and the teen have spoken out publicly.
Police also said on Thursday that the neighbor, Itamar Vardi, has been issued a citation for misdemeanor assault by contact related to Craig’s son. Vardi did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Jacqueline Craig’s attorneys said they had hoped for more serious charges against the neighbor. They called the misdemeanor ticket “a slap in the face,” noting the boy visited the emergency room and was given medication after the injury prevented him from sleeping.
The bodycam footage provided by Craig’s attorneys also depicts Martin pushing Hymond’s arms, which were handcuffed, above her head from behind when she refuses to answer his question. It also shows him pushing another young female who approaches the police car.
Martin has returned to work after serving a 10-day suspension that he’s appealing with the city’s Civil Service Commission.
