ENNIS, Texas — An Ennis police officer has been reassigned after the department acknowledged that a Saturday traffic stop and subsequent arrests could have been handled better.
On Saturday, at about 9 p.m., Ennis police said one of its officers initiated a traffic stop for speeding.
Officials said the driver pulled into the driveway of a home in the 100 block of East Freeman Street, and as the officer was radioing with the dispatch center, the passenger got out of the car and reportedly refused to comply with the officers’ instructions.
But Natalie Tyner, who was in the car with her 3-year-old daughter, told WFAA everyone complied with the officer's commands and got out of the car, even though they were pulled over in front of their home.
“This wasn’t a traffic stop where we were in the wrong, and just pulled over. He jumped out the car. He was at home,” she said.
According to Kevin Beasley, a family member who recorded the stop on his cell phone, the driver and passengers of the car had just gathered to grieve the death of an aunt.
“[The officer] immediately asked, 'Don’t run.' Nobody was running," he said. "We were at home."
Video posted on Facebook shows what happened after the family returned home.
Antoinette Carter, who lived at the home, said she was getting ready for bed when she walked outside to see what was happening and saw the commotion with her family.
“I tell everyone, 'Shut up! This is my home! Let me see what’s going on,'" she recounted. "[The officer] overlooks me, like I wasn’t even there."
Ennis police said the "situation escalated quickly as individuals began to congregate around the officer and vehicle," and the officer called for back-up.
Carter and three other people were ultimately taken into custody and booked with interference with a police officer. Carter was also booked with resisting arrest.
Beasley said he felt the officer was "acting aggressively.”
“He was creating a scenario of chaos that wasn’t there,” he said.
“No one acts like that," Carter added. "This officer didn’t care about what anyone said."
Ennis Police Chief Dustin Munn addressed the officer's actions, releasing a statement that said, in part, “there were several ways to better handle the situation.”
"After reviewing video from several sources, it is clear that there were opportunities for the Ennis Police Department to better handle the dynamic situation," he said.
"The actions of Ennis Police Department personnel were deficient in the context of interacting with community members in a proactive and positive way," he added. "As the new Chief, I can assure you, we will be a police force that treats everyone with respect and dignity regardless of circumstance. There were several opportunities to better handle this situation."
The officer has since been reassigned to administrative duty, pending the investigation.
On Tuesday, those involved in the encounter, as well as community activists and relatives, went to the police department and filed an official complaint against the officer.
A member of the police department promised that an investigation would be forthcoming.
“We have car camera video, and body camera video. It’s a lot of info to go through,” they said. ”It takes time. We will get through it."
Chief Munn in his statement also promised an independent investigation conducted by the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and the professional standards division with oversight from the Texas Rangers.
"The purpose of the investigation is to determine the facts, determine if Ennis Police Department Policies and General Orders were followed and make recommendations as to how we might better respond in the future," Munn said.
Meanwhile, Munn implored the community to help deescalate the situation in the future.
"Inflammatory social media posts are not helpful and can cause real damage and further inflame the situation," he said, though he acknowledge "that this situation demonstrates we have significant work ahead to thoughtfully engage our residents."
Munn promised the department will do a better job in the future.
"Please know The City of Ennis and the Ennis Police Department take our relationship with the community to heart and want nothing more than to have an open and positive relationship based on mutual respect," he said. "I am committed to forging relationships that bind us together as a community, not further divide us. We are committed to building and maintaining trust with you by treating everyone with respect and dignity. We are all created in the image of God, and by His grace, we will find a way to unite and be reconciled with one another."