A Texas police officer has been fired after an internal investigation found he violated department policies during a chaotic confrontation involving a woman and her 18-year-old daughter at a neighborhood pool.
The Royse City Police Department announced the officer’s termination on Facebook on Aug. 24, following an investigation into the Aug. 3 incident.
“The investigation determined that the officer, who had been placed on administrative leave after the incident, did violate departmental standards, policies and procedures,” the department said.
Although the department has not identified the officer, Next Generation Network, which is representing the women, identified him to Atlanta Black Star as Robert Crider.
Excessive Force
The viral video shows as many as five officers at the scene, with audible shrieks, screams, and cries.
In one portion of the video, an officer appears to shove a young woman holding a child in the face after she approaches him. She appears to strike back.
Nearby, another officer appears to strike a shirtless person who appears to be a child multiple times.
The video then shows an officer, identified as Crider by NGN, grabbing 35-year-old Janiaca Wheeler by her hair and dragging her before she is pinned to the ground.
“Oh, my God! Let her f–king hair go,” a person could be heard yelling.
Wheeler’s 18-year-old daughter, Amaiyah Allen-Smith, is also seen being handcuffed and pinned down.
The Lead Up
Allen-Smith told CBS News that she and her sisters were at the neighborhood pool when police arrived.
“We were at the pool or whatnot, and there was a couple, an older couple, there,” Allen-Smith said. “It was me, my sisters, all of us, or whatnot. The rest, they’re not here. And there was an older couple there. We were listening to music.”
Allen-Smith said the older couple alerted a pool attendant before police were called.
The family and its advocates have accused the older couple of racially discriminating against them by questioning whether they belonged in the neighborhood.
The family has said they live in the neighborhood and were legally allowed to use the pool.
Police arrested Allen-Smith and Wheeler at the scene, but both were later released.
Criminal Investigation
The Royse City Police Department said Allen-Smith will not face charges. However, they recommended charges against Wheeler for resisting arrest and interference with public duties.
Authorities are also investigating a person who allegedly struck an officer in the face during the confrontation. That person could potentially face charges including interference with public duties and assault on a peace officer.
“State law is clear that a person cannot use physical force against a police officer to interfere with or resist arrest even if that person believes it’s unjustified,” the department said.
The Collin County District Attorney’s Office has not indicated whether it will pursue those charges.
The department also investigated three other officers who were at the scene. Officials determined those officers did not violate department policy.
Dominique Alexander of NGN criticized the department’s investigation, saying the officers’ actions were not justified.
“This officer thought that pulling their hair was a form of getting them to comply,” Alexander told Atlanta Black Star. “There’s no training in American police that tells you to do that kind of stuff.”
A Lasting Impact
Wheeler said she is still dealing with the emotional impact of the confrontation.
“My anxiety is out the roof. I didn’t think that it would ever get close to home. Right here to happen to me and my family,” Wheeler told CBS.
Wheeler has also said the officer pulled six of her dreadlocks from her head during the encounter.
Zoey Manning, another family member who was at the scene, said she continues to deal with physical and emotional injuries.
“I have soreness in my neck and in my jaw, but mentally it’s been straining. It was very traumatic watching everything happen with them and then also me being assaulted as well,” she said.
The complete circumstances leading up to the confrontation have not been publicly released.
The family and NGN have called for the release of the full body-camera and dash-camera footage, saying the viral video does not show the entire encounter.
Alexander hopes the district attorney pursues charges against the officer. He also hopes that the police department implements more training for its officers.
