A Forth Worth police officer identified
only as “W. Figueroa” was video recorded Sunday afternoon spraying a
pack of sport bikes with pepper spray.
Television station KXAS has
reported that multiple drivers complained to police Sunday afternoon
about sport bike riders performing stunts on Highway 287. Figueroa
pulled over a red pickup truck driven by Brittany Botella for “blocking
traffic to record motorcycles driving recklessly” with her cellphone.
Botella, who is six months pregnant, told KXAS
“I looked out my mirror and I seen all the Mace going towards all the
bikes. And then it hit us. And then I started choking and that’s exactly
what happened.”
Markus Hernandez, who was riding in the
back of Botella’s truck and who has asthma. had to be hospitalized after
being exposed to the spray.
Botella was cited for driving without a license. Hernandez was cited for standing in the back of a moving vehicle.
Honor
The Fort Worth Police Department
publishes an “Honor Code” on its website. The code pledges: “I will
respectfully serve the citizens of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Police
Department. I will dedicate myself to the protection of life, property,
and our public trust. My integrity, character, and courage will be above
reproach, and I will accept no less from other members of our
department.”
Fort Worth police issued a statement
this morning that claimed, “An investigation was begun immediately upon
receipt of the video this morning. At this time, detectives are trying
to locate witnesses and identify the officer involved.”
The video, below, was shot by Jack
Kinney with a GoPro and uploaded to YouTube by Chase Stone. Both men are
from Longview, Texas and both belong to an informal riding club called
East Texas Heat.