{"id":21935,"date":"2017-01-27T21:31:26","date_gmt":"2017-01-27T21:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colorlines.madeostudio.com\/article\/fort-worth-pd-drops-charges-against-black-family-and-officer-following-violent-arrest\/"},"modified":"2017-01-27T21:31:26","modified_gmt":"2017-01-27T21:31:26","slug":"fort-worth-pd-drops-charges-against-black-family-and-officer-following-violent-arrest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/article\/fort-worth-pd-drops-charges-against-black-family-and-officer-following-violent-arrest\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth PD Drops Charges Against Black Family and Officer Following Violent Arrest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fort Worth PD Drops Charges Against Black Family and Officer Following Violent Arrest<\/h3>\n

\n By Sameer Rao<\/span> Jan 27, 2017<\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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The Fort Worth Police Department announced yesterday (January 26) that it would drop charges against a Black woman and her daughter stemming from a violent arrest caught on video<\/a> last month. <\/p>\n

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pic.twitter.com\/iBYDI4lWIs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Fort Worth Police (@fortworthpd) January 26, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"We have consulted with the District Attorney’s office and we have decided to withdraw the charges against Ms. Jacqueline Craig and Ms. Brea Hymond,\" reads the department statement tweeted above. Officer William Martin, who is White, received<\/a> a 10-day suspension following his arrest of Craig and her daughters, 19-year-old Hymond and 15-year-old Jacques Craig. The statement says that Martin plans to appeal his suspension. The statement also says that the department issued Itamar Vardi\u2014the neighbor who allegedly choked Craig’s son, prompting the call to the police\u2014\"a citation for assault by contact as a result of his actions in the initial incident.\" According to The Associated Press<\/a>, the Craig family’s attorneys confirmed at a press conference yesterday that the department had previously dropped charges against Jacques.<\/p>\n

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/a> reported earlier this month that Craig’s niece Porsha Craver posted a six-minute version of Hymond’s cell phone video of the arrest to Facebook<\/a> on December 21, the same day it was taken. YouTube user Black Power Prince, whose connection to the family is unclear, published<\/a> a full 29-minute video on December 23.<\/p>\n

Both videos show Martin speaking to Vardi (identified by the Star-Telegram as White) before approaching Craig, who then explains the situation. Their interaction<\/a> grows intense when Martin asks,\"Why don’t you teach your son not to litter?\" Jacques, 15, tries to step between her mother and Martin before the officer pushes her away, throws Jacqueline to the ground and points a stun gun at Jacques and other bystanders. Martin then cuffs Jaqueline and Jacques, taking them to his squad car before arresting Hymond. The Star-Telegram reported that Jacqueline and Hymond were charged with \"interference with public duties, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and failing to provide identification\"\u2014all of which have since been dropped.<\/p>\n