Dajerria Becton, the teenaged girl who was body slammed by a McKinley, Texas police officer at a pool party, is suing the city and its police department for $5 million.
Back in June 2105, video of Becton being attacked and arrested by Officer Eric Casebolt went viral. Casebolt was called to the scene by neighbors who were essentially complaining about too many Black kids being at the community pool and decided to pick fights with them. When Casebolt arrived, he went berserk, tucking and rolling through the crowd and eventually got into a confrontation with Becton. He yanked her by her braids, slammed her to the ground and put his knee in her back to arrest her. The video also showed him threatening other teens and even pulled out his gun on them.
Casebolt was placed on administrative leave, resigned from his position, but was never indicted for his aggressive behavior. Fast forward to now, Becton is suing Casebolt, the McKinley Police Department and the city for $5 million. The lawsuit argues that Becton was injured because Casebolt was not properly trained and that he “violated the girl’s constitutional rights by using excessive force and holding her without probable cause.”
The police department has refuted those claims saying that Casebolt was properly trained and that he handled the situation appropriately. They also expect to beat the case, no pun intended.
Photo: Screenshot
