Earldreka White, a black social worker from Houston Texas, is filing charges against the Houston Police Department after being allegedly attacked by a Houston police officer during a routine traffic stop in May.
After being pulled over for passing over the white line, White felt scared and threatened by Officer Gentian Luca, so she called 911 to have another police officer sent as backup.
During her conversation with the 911 dispatcher Officer Luca can be heard talking and sometimes shouting in the background while White stayed calm, telling the operator:
“I would like another officer to come out here. My heart is racing. I’m really afraid.”
A video was released and coupled with the emergency call White made. She can be seen standing calmly outside of her car while speaking with the dispatcher. Nothing seemed to escalate until she was transferred to Metro Police and she told them she was being “harassed” by the officer on the scene.
As if something snapped in the officer’s mind he moved forward with handcuffs, twisting White’s arm, and applying excessive force. White can be heard on the 911 recording sobbing and asking for the officer to calm down.
When the other officer arrived, White attempted to explain what happened between her and Officer Luca, but the two Metro Police Officers were too busy trying to decide what charges to bring her in for to pay any attention to White’s plea.
White ended up spending two terrifying days in jail after being accused of resisting arrest and was awarded a $1000.00 bond. She filed a complaint with the Metropolitan Transit Authority but after investigation, the Metro Police Department decided Officer Luca was in the right.
Upon the release of the most current video White enlisted the assistance of Zack Fertitta, a Houston attorney. Fertitta took the case pro bono after seeing the video and stated:
“I’m as pro-law-enforcement as they come, but that’s not good police conduct. You can’t escalate a situation and then claim someone is ‘resisting arrest.’ That’s ridiculous.”
Just a year after the devastating death of Sandra Bland, White felt extremely lucky to be eventually released with her life. It is terrifying that even when approaching the fear of a police officer with the correct chain of actions, an innocent party like Ms. White receives backlash for protecting herself.
Here is the video taken by cameras outside of the shopping center with the 911 call dubbed over top.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r43VIMzcfs4
Featured Image Via The Final Call
