A black family in Texas that claimed a white police officer used excessive force during an arrest in Fort Worth filed a federal lawsuit Friday, alleging that their constitutional rights were violated, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
The lawsuit filed by the family of Jacqueline Craig accuses the arresting officer, William Martin, of using excessive force during the December 2016 arrest and alleges that Fort Worth policymakers — specifically Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald, Mayor Betsy Price and the Fort Worth City Council — in general failed to supervise or discipline officers who used excessive force and failed to try to identify those officers.
“Defendant Martin consciously disregarded the rights of Plaintiffs, knowing that policymakers would approve or ratify his actions,” the lawsuit stated.
A video of the arrest, which was captured on a cellphone, shows Martin wrestling Craig to the ground. The incident began after Craig called police to report an alleged assault against her son. The video sparked outrage and had more than 5 million views, triggering protests and calls for Martin and Fitzgerald to be fired.
The lawsuit asks for money damages but does not specify an amount, the Star-Telegram reported.
Itamar Vardi, the neighbor who the family said assaulted Jacqueline Craig's 8-year-old son, is also named in the lawsuit. Vardi allegedly grabbed the boy by his arm and then by the back of the neck, pushing him to the ground and spraining his cervical spine, because the child refused to pick up some raisins he dropped in Vardi's yard, according to the lawsuit.
Police officials declined to comment on the lawsuit Friday.
Martin responded to Craig's call for police assistance, the Star-Telegram reported. The lawsuit describes how she and the officer became involved in a heated exchange that ended up with Craig and her 15-year-old daughter being forced to the ground and placed in handcuffs, while a Taser was pointed at them.
Martin then handcuffed Craig's relative, Brea Hymond, who was recording the arrest on her cellphone, and pulled her arms above her head in a way that is designed to cause pain, the lawsuit stated.
Craig and her daughters faced various charges, which were dropped soon after the arrest, the Star-Telegram reported. Martin served a 10-day suspension for violating departmental policies.
Police declined to comment Friday.
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