Above Photo: From PopularResistance.org
Texas councilman tazed, arrested while defending friends being questioned by Prairie View police
A Texas city councilman was stunned with a Taser while on his knees and then arrested outside his Prairie View home Thursday night — the same agency whose officer helped arrest Sandra Bland.
The arrest involved a Prairie View cop – one of the city’s six-officer force – with ties to Bland’s arrest alongside Texas Department of Public Safety in July, authorities confirmed.
Newly-elected Councilman Jonathan Miller identified himself as an elected official while stepping between Prairie View cops confronting four of his fraternity brothers practicing a step routine, local reports said.
The 29-year-old’s credentials, which includes a vote to rename a street in Bland’s honor, didn’t prevent what Miller’s friend described as another example of excessive force in the Houston suburb.
“It went from me asking questions to me basically being put face down on the ground,” Miller told KHOU-TV.
Prairie View Councilman Jonathan Miller came to his friends’ defense outside his home on Thursday night only to be stunned with a Taser.
A video of Miller’s 8:30 p.m. arrest shows Miller on his knees before being tased. Police contend that Miller pestered them with questions and refused to step back as they questioned his house guests about suspicious activity in the neighborhood.
He allegedly pulled away as officers lunged forward with handcuffs.
“As soon as they started pushing, I pulled out my camera, because if there’s a camera the officer can’t say my battery on my body cam went out or anything like that,” Brandon Woodson told KPRC-TV.
The officer involved in Thursday’s arrest was not identified by Prairie View Police Chief Larry Johnson, but he said it was probable that officers in the small force would appear in other incidents.
Bland was found hanging in a Waller County jail cell on July 13, three days after her arrest. She was pulled over by a Texas state trooper for allegedly failing to use her turn signal, leading to a confrontation over a cigarette.
The only other officer involved with Bland’s arrest was a cop backing up Trooper Brian Encinia during the traffic stop.
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
One of the officers involved with Councilman Jonathan Miller’s arrest was also involved in Sandra Bland’s arrest.
Miller faces charges of interfering with a public servant and resisting arrest, but he is no longer in custody, having bonded out of jail on Friday.
An attempt by the Daily News to reach Miller was not immediately returned.