Dashcam Video Shows Escalating Confrontation in Bland Traffic Stop

Encinia asks Bland if she is irritated, and the a 28-year-old responds by saying she is upset for being pulled over for such a minor issue, Reuters reported. It shows a previous stop by the same officer at the beginning and then, around the 2:12 mark, the officer pulls over Bland, telling her through her passenger window that she failed to signal a lane change.

The trooper, Brian Encinia, then threatened Bland with a Taser, warning her, “I’m going to light you up!” When she walks out of the vehicle, the two continue to yell as the trooper tries to get Bland in handcuffs.

Jailhouse video released earlier by the Waller County Sheriff’s Department shows a space of about 90 minutes between the last physical check of Bland in her cell and her being discovered dead at about 9 a.m. on July 13. Bland loudly, and profanely, protests the arrest – and accuses the officer of slamming her head into the ground – but any physical confrontation is off camera.

Before the video was publicly released, Encinia was placed on administrative leave for violating procedures and the department’s courtesy policy during the traffic stop. They have ordered an independent autopsy.

The sheriff’s office said Friday in a statement that jailers checked on Bland via intercom on one occasion rather than in person. Bland then says he is breaking her wrists and that she has epilepsy, to which he replies, “Good”.

A Texan politician, speaking at a news conference yesterday, said the video suggested Ms Bland should never have been arrested in the first place.

A law enforcement expert from Maryland said he was troubled by the video “from start to finish”.

After her arrest, Bland was incarcerated in the Waller County jail, operated by the Waller County sheriff’s department.

Texas state leaders, including Senator Royce West and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, emphasized the investigation would be transparent and thorough. Federal authorities and the Texas Rangers have joined the investigation, and a request as been made with the Justice Department to look into the matter as well. She was then arrested for allegedly becoming “argumentative and uncooperative”, according to the DPS.

Harris County medical examiners quickly called her death a suicide, a determination disputed by Bland’s family and friends. The Waller County D.A. said the investigation into her death is being treated like a murder but believes she killed herself. He said she was “removed from the vehicle”, and Bland became “more combative”. According to NBC-DFW, West said during that press conference, “We will be patient to allow the process to work itself out – but it will be transparent… we’re going to be watching every step of the way to make sure that the job will be done correctly”. Her body was found about an hour later.

A cellphone video posted online purporting to include part of Bland’s arrest shows an officer pinning a woman to the ground with one knee. Both men also assured the public that the grand jury who would hear the evidence relating to this case would be ethnically diverse.

This video doesn’t explain what occurred in the Waller County jail on July 13, but it does reveal that Encinia lost control of the arrest and resorted to force to quell the situation.