AUSTIN, Texas – Newly released cell phone video shows what led up to an arrest and the subsequent death of Sandra Bland in 2015.
- Sandra Bland’s cell phone video released
- Shows arrest for failing to use turn signal
- Sparked debate over police treatment of black women
Bland’s death sparked outrage over how black women are treated in the criminal justice system, and the Sandra Bland Act passed in 2017.
The 28-year-old was pulled over for failing to use a turn signal on July 10, 2015. Dash cam video from the police patrol car shows Bland being pulled from her car during the arrest for a Class C misdemeanor.
Now, for the first time, a view from Bland’s perspective is available in her cell phone video, which has been released by the Investigative Network.
The Investigative Network is a nonprofit news organization in Texas.
The arresting officer, Brian Encinia, claimed Bland threatened him prior to her arrest. However, the cell phone video shows Bland attempting to comply with the officer who rips opens her car door and points a stun gun at her.
In the video, Bland says “Why am I being apprehended?” over and over, which the officer fails to answer. He then pulls out a stun gun and yells “Get out of the car! I will light you up! Get out!”
Three days after her arrest, Bland was found hanging in her cell while in police custody at the Waller County Jail. Her death was ruled a suicide.
Bland’s death and the video of the trooper trying to pull her from the car became talking points in the debate over how police treat African Americans.
On Tuesday, a rally in support of Bland took place on the steps of the Texas State Capitol in Austin.
Fatima Mann and her group, Community Advocates and Healing Project are calling for lawmakers to beef up the 2017 Sandra Bland Act. They say provisions left out of the version of the bill signed into law should be made into law. Those include house and senate bills that would prevent law enforcement from making arrests for fine-only offenses and misdemeanors.
“We’re asking the legislators to show up and prove that they don’t want their constituents to have to be involved with the criminal justice system if they don’t have to,” Mann said.
Representative Shawn Thierry joined activists during a press conference Tuesday morning to demand answers on why the video took so long to release.
“If she were an actual defendant and were alive this would be called exculpatory evidence,” Thierry said. “Unfortunately she was deceased, but it’s still relevant evidence to the case and it’s very concerning that it didn’t come out at the time.”
On Tuesday, Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, called for a hearing to investigate the new Sandra Bland evidence and issued the following statement:
"As Chair of the House Committee on County Affairs, I plan on holding a hearing before the end of the 86th Legislative Session in light of the new evidence in the Sandra Bland Case. I will be asking the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Attorney General to testify.
The House Committee on County Affairs that I chair held five hearings during the 84th Interim investigating the death of Ms. Bland. Last session, I passed the Sandra Bland Act which added new de-escalation training for law enforcement, increased jailer training, new traffic stop data, funding for inmate safety and jail diversion, and outside investigation of jail deaths among other important criminal justice and mental health policies.
During the 85th Interim, the Committee continued its work to ensure proper implementation of the Sandra Bland Act. The House Committee on County Affairs intends to continue our work on Ms. Bland's case and the new revelations."