WATCH: Texas Police Officer Run Over Twice, Captured On Dashcam Footage
A dashcam footage from a police vehicle released Thursday shows a man running over an officer twice after being pulled over in Arlington, Texas.
Tavis Crane, 23, the driver, died after he was shot by another officer as he tried to get away during the confrontation on Feb. 1, which left Cpl. Elise Bowden Bowden with multiple injuries, including broken bones.
The district attorney's office released the footage at the demand of Crane family attorney Lee Merritt, who was looking to prosecute officer Craig Roper for initiating "a struggle that culminated in Crane’s death.” Merritt also claimed the witness statements differed from police records.
The footage was released with an announcement that a Tarrant County grand jury had declined to indict Roper for the death.
The video shows Roper, his partner Bowden and another officer approaching Crane’s car after pulling it over at a traffic stop for violation of probation and more than one misdemeanor warrants out of Dallas County.
Though it's not clear from the video, according to a Star-Telegram report, two adults and an infant were also present in the car at the time.
Crane refused to get out of the car after Bowden asked him to step out.
“I’m not stepping out, because I didn’t do anything wrong,” Crane is heard saying from inside the car.
After conversing for a bit, Bowden reminds him of his violations, “You have a warrant and you need to step out.”
As Crane continued to resist, Bowden is heard attempting to reason with him, saying: “Tavis, if you go and do something stupid, then we’re going to be breaking windows, it’s going to get crazy. It ain’t worth it. Look at me. I’m talking to you like a mother, OK? You’re a father. Open the door, baby.”
Crane’s refusal to obey leads one the officers — according to police, it was Roper — to open the back driver’s side door of the car, while another points a flashlight in the front passenger’s window, the video shows.
“Put your hands on the dashboard,” repeats one of the officers, and Bowden simultaneously yells: “Open the door!” Bowden shouts again. “I told you don’t want to do this. Open the door. Open the door now.”
The video shows the situation escalating as Roper attempts to force his way into Crane’s car.
Immediately after this, Bowden frantically warns Crane — “Don’t do it” — and moves to the back of his car. Crane momentarily revs up the engine and moves the car forward, before dashing it backward with full force.
Bowden is knocked down by the impact and the car runs over her as it crashes into the patrol car behind. Without stopping, it drives away, running over an already injured Bowden again.
“Oh my god!” Bowden is heard screaming repeatedly. “I’ve been run over twice!”
It is not clear from the grainy footage when Roper managed to find his way inside Crane’s car. However, according to police records, it was just before Bowden was run over that Roper shot and killed Crane, and was still in the car when Crane drove away.
An officer in a second patrol car followed, chasing Crane's car, which went only a short distance down the road, police records stated. Even though CPR was performed on Crane by the officers present, he was pronounced dead after being rushed to Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital.
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