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ROYSE CITY, Texas (KTVT) — Five victims, two attorneys and an activist who represents those who claim they were handled excessively by a Royce City Police Officer can view video from four officers, according to Police Chief Kirk Aldridge.
Aldridge said he is making the body-worn cameras and patrol car footage available for review on Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
“When was the duty to intervene? Where was the other officers to intervene in this situation and say, “Hey, you know what? Maybe you should sit down for a second,” Minister Dominique Alexander said.
Alexander is the CEO of the Next Generation Action Network. He has been assisting Janiaca Wheeler, Amaiyah-Allen Smith and two more unnamed victims. All of them also have attorneys who are speaking on their behalf. On Tuesday, Blerim Elmazi and Sean Daredia spoke for the alleged victims outside of the city hall in Royse City prior to the regularly scheduled meeting, where they were going to make a plea.
“This is our formal way of being able to talk in front of the mayor and the city council for them to join in this call, for this officer to be terminated,” Alexander said. “For this officer to be charged, to know that we come in the spirit of justice, but to resolve this situation and to properly remedy this situation in the damages that they have caused to this family.”
Viral pool confrontation
RCPD said they responded to a disturbance call at the Creekside neighborhood community swimming pool. Two people were arrested. The charges were dropped pending an internal investigation into an officer who had been placed on administrative leave. There were allegations of excessive force in a video of a confrontation with police.
Wheeler allegedly had six dreadlocks pulled from her hair. In the video, she is seen on the ground as an officer is pulling her hair.
“Ms. Wheeler and her family did nothing wrong on this day. Their crime was swimming while Black,” Elmazi said.
Police have not described the disturbance they responded to at the pool. There is allegedly a couple who, after trying to get a pool attendant to act, called police. But the attorneys said there were no infractions for the attendants to act on.
“Now what happened before the police arrived? These two individuals called these young women hoodlums, ghetto thugs, and Section 8 babies,” Sean Daredia said.
Daredia said the alleged victims sustained concussions, bruises, and other injuries.
Aldridge said the group filed an internal complaint against the officer. They told CBS News Texas they’re hoping for official oppression charges.
The officer remains on leave until the investigation is complete. Tuesday night, his alleged victim asked Royse City leaders to terminate him.
But Michael Pentecost, a Royse City resident who was not at the swimming pool, called the situation unfortunate. He also said he thought the incident was stoked by outsiders.
“It was not based on race at all. It’s a societal problem of youth—families not respecting the law—not respecting the law,” Pentecost said. “Not respecting each other—not respecting the city.”
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