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A Texas sheriff's deputy has come under fire in the United States after he was seen mounting an 18-year-old black American teen, who allegedly displayed suicidal behaviour in public on July 27, 2021.
In a video of the incident, the teenager, Nekia Trigg, was heard saying: "I can't breathe."
The uniformed personnel has been identified as Deputy Sheriff Conner Martin, who is also referred to as a Kaufman County officer.
He had responded to a public call for assistance
What video showed
Martin was seen in a full mount on the teenager who had allegedly tried to harm herself while walking on the road.
Despite her pleas for the officer to get off her, he continued to put his weight on the teenager.
U.S. media reported that the teenager was displaying behaviour that suggested she had mental health issues.
Recording of call for assistance
The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office has since released a recording of the 911 call made by a member of the public in response to Trigg allegedly walking onto the road.
In the recording, the witness claimed that Trigg was trying to get herself “run over”.
The caller added: “Three people have already had to swerve out of the way, including me.”
Officer arrived to check on teen
Responding to the call, Martin arrived at the scene and went to check on Trigg.
In response, Trigg said she was about to leave and asked to go home.
Based on Martin’s body camera footage, it appeared that he did not allow Trigg to leave, and told her that he could not leave her on her own.
Held on to teen
Martin then held on to Trigg’s arm, which led Trigg to claim that he was hurting her.
She then asked Martin several times to let go of her.
Moments later, Martin mounted Trigg and held her hands above her head.
This turn of events was not caught on video because Martin's body camera fell off, according to the police.
Family refutes suicidal claims
Trigg's family has refuted the claims of the teenager being suicidal, and are not convinced that the sheriff's deputy was right in restraining the young woman, who was already not a danger to herself and others at that point, as she had wanted to go home.
The police also arrested Trigg's mother who was at the scene and said she "struck" Martin, although the alleged assault could not be found in videos of the incident.
Teen held for short while before being released
Trigg was later evaluated and "promptly released because they found no reason to keep her", according to her attorney Kim T. Cole.
Martin has since been put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Family received death threats
The Trigg family's attorney Cole subsequently said the family decided to evacuate from their home due to a slew of death threats on social media, including direct messages telling the family they got what they deserved during the incident, per TMZ.
When asked about the family's fear of retaliation from the police, Cole said it was based on prior experiences close family friends have had with the authorities.
Cole also said Trigg, who just graduated from high school, fears that her mom will be arrested and she will not have a place to live.
The attorney said she plans to file a civil rights lawsuit on Trigg's behalf against Kaufman County and Martin.
Police explain actions
In response to the incident, the police released a statement stating that Deputy Sheriff Martin was responding to “multiple calls” of a female attempting suicide, and he had to prevent the teenager from injuring herself.
The police said Martin had "executed a control technique taught by the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office”, and that the “top mount” technique is “commonly used in Jiu Jitsu to control the lower body".
The statement added that it does not impede breathing and "prevents injuries to both parties".
The statement also mentioned that family members of Trigg began “screaming and threatening” Martin after they arrived at the scene.
When the police was escorting Trigg to a patrol car, her mother, Antanique Ray, pulled at Trigg’s arm.
Martin then told Ray not to touch her daughter.
The police said Ray “struck” Martin, which led to her arrest, but Ray’s alleged assault was not seen in the videos of the incident.
Top image via @COUPSLEADER/Twitter
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