At a House Transportation Committee hearing on Tuesday, a Tennessee lawmaker invoked a tense moment from a Memphis anti-ICE march, telling colleagues that a protester identified as "KB" had been "run over" by Tennessee Highway Patrol vehicles. The remark has been echoing around the Capitol and across social media, and now the patrol has pushed out dashcam video that it says undercuts the story.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol posted a dashcam clip on its official Facebook page and called social media reports that someone was struck "false." In the agency’s description, the footage, recorded on Jan. 11, shows a person stepping into a lane, briefly grabbing the cruiser’s push bar, lying down in front of the vehicle, then standing up and walking away under their own power. Tennessee Highway Patrol
What the dashcam shows
In the short clip, patrol cruisers are seen moving onto Summer Avenue as a man in an orange safety vest steps into the roadway directly in front of the recording unit. The cruiser appears to slow as the man drops toward the push bar, then he gets up and walks away. Law enforcement trade publication Police1 and local television coverage described the video as weakening the viral "run over" narrative. Police1 and local station WSMV each summarized the agency’s release and the clip.
The protester says he was struck
That account does not match what one marcher says happened. MLK50 reported that a protester who uses the initials "KB" told reporters he was "bumped" by a different cruiser during the same Jan. 11 march and later sought medical care, and that THP has not released the video he says shows that separate impact. MLK50 published interviews with KB, along with the medical records he provided.
The demonstration ended with at least one arrest. The Daily Memphian reported that Tennessee troopers arrested 55-year-old Rebecca Leathers, who appeared in court on Jan. 13 on charges tied to the protest, and local organizers have called for the release of all footage and records from the scene. Local outlet WMC also covered the arrest and the demands for transparency.
Calls for oversight
Some lawmakers say an internal explanation is not enough. MLK50 reported that State Rep. Justin Pearson urged the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to open a probe into the patrol’s actions at the march, and that his push has resurfaced in Nashville this week as legislators question agency practices during committee hearings. MLK50
For now, authorities say the released dashcam clip should clear up what happened in front of that particular cruiser. Protesters and some legislators counter that the full truth will not be clear until every available recording, from other cruisers, any body-worn cameras, and bystander video, is made public and judged in the court of public opinion.
