McKinney PD Release Full Video Of 14-Year-Old's Movie Theater Arrest, Say Incident Has Been Misrepresented
COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - Body cameras worn by two off-duty McKinney police officers show they spent at least nine minutes trying to get a 14-year-old and his friends to leave a movie theater before making an arrest the teen's family says left him injured.
McKinney Mayor George Fuller asked the city to release the footage, taken at Cinemark 14 Saturday night, in its entirety to show the extent of officers' attempts to avoid arresting Jasper Miller for criminal trespass.
In the video, officers repeatedly ask a group of teens to leave the property. At one point, Miller is seen raising his palm toward the officer.
"I don't want you to talk to me no more," he says. "Leave the property, man," the officer replies.
More than a minute later, the officer again orders the teens to leave. "Hey, call a ride or get off the property," he yells.
The officer then confronts Miller directly, urging him to comply. "I promise you, man, you don't want to do this," he says.
Eventually, the officer approaches Miller, who reacts by running. "Stop! Police!" the officer yells.
Miller disappears from view, but returns moments later, again ignoring officers' requests to stop. "You need to walk over here 'cause I'm going to arrest you. You're under arrest. Walk over here," says the officer.
"Ooo, I'm under arrest?" replies Miller, in a seemingly joking tone, as he once again runs away.
Eventually the officer grabs him, and pushes him to the ground to detain him. It was during the arrest that Miller's family says the freshman football player from Allen suffered a separated shoulder.
"I felt it pop and I couldn't do anything." he said during a press conference called by attorneys on Monday.
Mayor George Fuller said reports of the arrest caught his attention. "When you hear that, as the mayor of the city, yeah, I'm immediately on the phone with the city manager and the police chief," he said.
Fuller said after watching the entire bodycam footage, though, he thought the public should see it too. "I think there are incidents like this that are being misrepresented," he said.
Miller's family has not seen the video. CBS 11 News offered to show it to them, but they are waiting on advice from their attorney.
The Next Generation Action Network, which is planning a protest at the movie theater Friday, said it believes racial bias played a role and that it is the city misrepresenting what happened.