Woman brings Hurst Police excessive force complaint to city council

HURST, Texas - A Hurst woman and the local police department are telling different sides of a story involving a traffic stop and a thrown speeding ticket.

January speeding ticket incident

What we know:

On Jan. 16, Taneisha Thompson was stopped by a Hurst police officer after allegedly speeding in a school zone.

Hurst Police released body camera footage of the incident on Tuesday. In the video, an officer issues Thompson a traffic citation after a brief conversation.

Thompson is seen throwing the ticket back at the officer, who then placed Thompson under arrest with the help of another officer. Officers pulled Thompson out of her car and onto the ground before arresting her.

Thompson's child was present in the passenger seat of the vehicle at the time of the incident.

Thompson considers legal action

What they're saying:

Thompson has hired civil rights attorney Lee Merritt as she considers legal action against the Hurst Police Department.

She says she suffered a black eye, a lip injury that required stitches and several bruises on her body from the incident.

Thompson read a statement to reporters on Tuesday evening during a press conference before sharing her story with Hurst City Council.

"I am here today because this is bigger than me—this is about all of us. It is about ensuring de-escalation, about prioritizing the safety of every citizen, so that no one else endures what I did. I am deeply grateful for all the support I have received from around the world—this is a call for justice, for humanity, and for safety. I will not be silenced," part of Thompson's statement read.

Merritt answered questions during the presser.

When asked about Thompson's throwing of the ticket, Merritt said: "I tell my clients, I tell the public in general, it’s not best to litigate a case on the side of the road. If you’re upset about a police encounter, hold your peace, hire an attorney, file a complaint with the police department later."

He also stated: "I let the public know, just because this is the law, that you actually have every right to be rude to law enforcement. Not best practice, but you have every right to be rude."

The other side:

Hurst Police are standing by the officer.

"Corporal Morgan acted in full accordance with the law and with our department’s policies and the department stands firmly behind his actions," Hurst Police Chief Billy Keadle said.

The department conducted an investigation into the incident after Thompson filed a formal complaint claiming excessive use of force. The investigation determined the claims were unfounded.

Dig deeper:

Alex del Carmen, a criminologist at Tarleton State University, viewed the footage and said the officer's actions were lawful.

"What I said after reviewing the entire footage was that the woman was very disrespectful of the office during the entire exchange.  Further, that the officer, up to the point of handing the ticket to her, was very respectful, professional and showed restraint," del Carmen said.

"However, when the woman threw the citation out the window, the officer had the choice of either giving her another citation for loitering, ignoring it, or asking another officer to step in. Instead, he chose to issue a verbal command for the woman to get out of the vehicle, and she refused." 

"At that point, the officer used physical force.  Although this was awful, it is lawful, for the woman refused to get out of the vehicle and ignored the officer’s commands."