In the early morning hours of March 2nd, a disturbance on Austin's 6th Street was met with police intervention, the Austin Police Department revealed in a recent statement. At approximately 2:30 a.m., officers observed an intoxicated individual in a black dress attempting to instigate physical confrontations among other pedestrians.
Attempting to defuse the situation, officers blew whistles to disperse the crowd and approached the individual causing the disturbance. The subject was seen moving to the side of a building and attempting to throw punches at another person. The officers intervened to halt the assault, despite having managed to draw the attention of the brawler.
The subject, resisting detainment, was subdued after a scuffle that resulted in them hitting their face on the ground. Subsequently, they were handcuffed, evaluated by Austin-Travis County EMS, and arrested for Disorderly Conduct - Fighting. According to the APD's statement, this use of force was later reviewed and deemed appropriate within the law and policy by the Force Review Unit.
In a move towards transparency, APD has released comprehensive video footage on YouTube, providing further context to the events as officers arrived on the scene. The intention, it seems, is to maintain public trust by openly sharing evidence of the subject’s conduct and police response, which often can be a contentious subject between law enforcement and the community. The video is accessible through the APD statement issued on March 18th, reflecting just over two weeks since the incident itself occurred.
