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ROYSE CITY, Texas – A Royse City Police officer has been placed on administrative leave as the department reviews his actions during a disturbance at a neighborhood pool this week.
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Royse City pool disturbance
What we know:
On Tuesday, August 4, Royse City Police responded to a disturbance call at a community pool in the Creekside neighborhood.
Police arrested Janiaca Wheeler and her daughter, Amaiyah Allen-Smith, after responding to the call.
Both women were charged following their arrest, but the charges were dropped by Royse City PD the following morning.
Dig deeper:
Viral video of the incident shows a Royse City police officer throwing Wheeler and Allen-Smith to the ground by their hair.
The Next Generation Action Network reports that the officer continued to pull Wheeler’s hair after she had been handcuffed.
One of the officers can be seen pushing a woman holding a child as the two were being escorted to a police cruiser, and pushing another woman in the head twice.
Wheeler says six of her dreadlocks were pulled out during the incident, and that police failed to attempt to de-escalate the situation upon arriving.
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At a press conference on Thursday, Allen-Smith said the disturbance call was made by an older couple at the pool who said something to her before the call.
Royse City PD says the officer involved in the incident has been placed on administrative leave while the department continues its internal investigation.
What we don’t know:
We don’t know what charges were given to Janiaca Wheeler and Amaiyah Allen-Smith prior to them being dropped, or what directly led to their arrests.
The name of the officer involved in the incident isn’t currently known.
What they’re saying:
“Honestly, I thought my baby was going to get really hurt,” Wheeler said at the Thursday press conference.
“I really thought it was going to turn into something else. So I really just wanted him off of her and whatever he needed to do he do to me versus my baby.”
Janiaca Wheeler
What’s next:
The family says they have filed a formal complaint with the Royse City Police Department alleging excessive force.
Royse City PD says its investigation into the incident is ongoing and will release its findings and disclose any action taken once complete.
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