A dashcam clip posted to X by civil-rights attorney Lee Merritt has reignited tensions in Hurst over a Jan. 16 traffic stop that ended with a woman on the ground, bruised and under arrest. Merritt says the woman was driving with her 15-year-old son in the passenger seat when an officer pulled her over for speeding and later yanked her from the car after she refused to get out. She filed an excessive-force complaint on Jan. 20. The Hurst Police Department says its internal affairs unit has already ruled that complaint unfounded, while the Tarrant County district attorney continues a separate review of the case.
City: Internal review found claims unfounded
The Hurst Police Department released a public statement saying its Internal Affairs investigation concluded the woman's excessive-force allegations were unfounded and that the case has been closed. The same release notes that the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office is still reviewing potential charges tied to the original stop and that the department will not release further details for now, according to the Hurst Police Department.
Lawyer and police group trade blame
Merritt shared the vehicle's dashcam video on Jan. 16 and sharply criticized the officer's conduct, arguing the encounter should have been de-escalated instead of turning physical. The Texas Municipal Police Association, which is representing the officer, fired back and accused Merritt of promoting a false narrative, writing that "if your client had complied with the law instead of resisting arrest, there would have been no bruising and no injuries," as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
What the dashcam appears to show
The dashcam footage posted by Merritt shows an officer pulling the woman from her vehicle and taking her to the ground after she allegedly refused repeated orders to step out. Merritt has said the woman's teenage son can be seen in the front passenger seat during the encounter. He also wrote that the officer could have issued a second citation for littering or walked away instead of taking the mother from the vehicle and injuring her, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which first reported on the clip.
Next steps
The Hurst statement stresses that any criminal or civil consequences now rest with the Tarrant County District Attorney, which the department says is pursuing a separate investigation into the incident. The department added that it remains committed to transparency and public communication as the legal process moves forward, according to the public information release from the Hurst Police Department.
