SANGER, Texas — Police in the Denton County city of Sanger have released dash camera video of an "excessive use of force" incident that ultimately led to an officer's termination and arrest.
Sgt. Cole Thompson was fired for the October 2022 incident and then indicted in March 2023 on charges of official oppression and assault.
Sanger police said that on Oct. 23, 2022, the department received a call from the Denton County Sheriff's Office dispatch about a "vehicle disturbance." A summary of the incident call reveals "a rolling vehicle and verbal disturbance" with the driver refusing to stop and allow a female and children to get out of the vehicle.
Police performed a traffic stop on the vehicle in question. Police said the driver then complied with orders to exit the vehicle and move to the back of it.
As the driver was being placed in handcuffs, the driver was taken to the ground and was also tased, according to police. The dashcam video shows the physical force used while the driver was on the ground.
The driver had "minor injuries to his face and head area by striking him with a closed fist numerous times," according to public documents released to WFAA.
Police said Thompson submitted a report of the incident to be reviewed by the administration, per the department's use of force policy.
Thompson was initially placed on administrative leave when an internal investigation was launched on Nov. 7, 2022.
Police said the internal investigation determined that Thompson's report of the incident was inconsistent with what video recordings from dash and body cameras showed. The use of force was deemed "excessive", according to police.
Thompson was terminated on Dec. 9, 2022, police said.
The Texas Rangers also conducted a criminal investigation, which was then presented to a Denton County grand jury.
Thompson was indicted on March 30, 2023, on one count of official oppression and one count of assault.