Texas officials demand answers after video shows Austin police slamming transgender woman to ground

Texas officials are calling for further review and accountability after video footage showed a police officer slamming a transgender woman to the ground during an early-morning arrest in Austin’s downtown entertainment district earlier this month.

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The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. on March 2. According to the Austin Police Department, officers were responding to a disturbance and identified an intoxicated person in a black dress who appeared to be engaging others in a physical confrontation.

Body camera video showing blood on the ground after a transgender woman was arrested by Austin Police Department officers.bodycam footage still via Austin Police

Body camera video released by police shows the woman in an argument with two men near a building. She strikes one man in the face and appears to attempt another swing before he blocks her. As officers approach while blowing whistles, one announces, “Police, you’re under arrest,” and instructs her to put her hands behind her back. When the woman begins to walk away, the officer grabs her wrist and spins her around. She lands on her knees and appears to strike her face on the ground. Blood is visible shortly after, and she can be heard mumbling, “F**k, I’m under arrest?”

Related: Two trans women attacked at Minneapolis light rail station as crowd cheered

The Advocate reviewed the body camera footage and a separate video recorded by a bystander and posted to social media. Unlike the police-released footage, the bystander video clearly shows the force with which the officer appears to throw the woman to the ground. It also captures the aftermath, showing officers walking her away in handcuffs and telling her she would be evaluated by medical personnel.

Police said in a statement that the woman was treated at the scene and arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct for fighting. A supervisor on site referred the incident to the department’s Force Review Unit, which later determined the use of force was within departmental policy, the statement said.

ABC Newsreports that City Council members José Velásquez, Mike Siegel, and Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes issued a joint statement calling the incident “upsetting” and said steps were being taken to ensure a full investigation.

Council Member Zo Qadri, who represents the downtown district, said his office had received numerous messages from constituents about the case and another recent incident at a popular LGBTQ+ bar. He called for Austin to remain a “safe haven for all” and said further answers were needed.

The arrest comes amid a broader climate of increased violence against transgender Americans. A 2021 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found that transgender people are more than four times as likely as cisgender people to be victims of violent crime, including rape, sexual assault and aggravated or simple assault. The study, which analyzed national crime victimization data from 2017 and 2018, also found that one in four transgender women who were victimized believed the incident was a hate crime.

Neither the Austin Police Department nor the Austin Police Association, representing rank-and-file officers, have commented.

The below video of the violent arrest may be disturbing to some readers.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com