Mother settles lawsuit over 2016 Texas arrest that was captured on video
By Rebekah Riess, Michelle Watson and Zoe Sottile, CNN
The City of Fort Worth, Texas, has reached a settlement with Jacqueline Craig, a Black woman whose 2016 arrest after she called the police for help was documented in a Facebook video.
Craig was arrested in December 2016 after calling police to complain that an adult neighbor had assaulted her young son, CNN previously reported.
The video shows the responding officer, who is White, arguing with Craig then wrestling her to the ground and handcuffing her. The officer then apparently moves to arrest Craig’s 19-year-old daughter, who was recording the incident on her cell phone and uploaded the video to Facebook Live. The pair were charged with resisting arrest and interfering with public duties.
In a statement, the City of Fort Worth said it had reached a settlement with Craig and would pay her $150,000 to settle a lawsuit filed over the arrests.
“The City admits no fault as part of the settlement and there are no other requirements,” the statement said. “The settlement will go before City Council in October for approval.”
The neighbor about whom Craig had called the police was not arrested at the time.
Following Craig’s arrest, the officer shown in the video, William A. Martin, who is White, was suspended without pay for 10 days, CNN previously reported.
In January 2017, police dropped charges against both Craig and her daughter.
CNN has reached out to Craig’s attorney Lee Merritt for comment following the settlement.
Fort Worth police declined to comment.
The-CNN-Wire
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