Fox 4 Dallas Fort Worth
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Police bodycam video released of city councilman's arrest
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May 10, 2018
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3:16Now PlayingPolice in McKinney are being accused of racially profiling a man during a traffic stop that led to his arrest.
La'Shadion Shemwell disputes that he was speeding 20 miles over the limit on Tuesday when he was pulled over. He was arrested after refusing to sign the ticket.
Shemwell's case is getting attention because of his allegations and because he is a McKinney city councilman. He says he strongly doubts he was speeding.
It was Tuesday evening when Shemwell was pulled over in the parking lot of a McKinney pawn shop.
"I came from a complete stop to a complete stop within two and a half blocks. My old 2004 Honda Accord doesn't move that fast,” he said. “I don't have tint on my windows. It was daytime. A black man with dreadlocks. At the time, my hair wasn't pinned back like this. They were falling down on my face. I believe I was racially profiled from the beginning.”
When the McKinney Police Department was asked to address Shemwell’s claims, the department only released a statement saying:
"The officer cited Mr. Shemwell for speeding and for failure to change the address on his driver's license within the required 30-day period… Mr. Shemwell repeatedly refused to sign the citation."
Shemwell says at least three other officers made the scene, and it was clear to him they knew he was a city councilmember.
The councilman won the seat a year ago. He ran for the office after he became known for participating in high-profile protests in Fort Worth and Arlington. That involved claims of police using excessive force.
"It’s not a secret that I'm an advocate against police brutality,” he said. “It’s not a secret that the McKinney Police Association endorsed my opponent and did not want me to win this seat."
"Me being a sitting city councilman here, I wasn't fleeing the state. I didn't have an out of state address,” he said. “He knows where I'm at on the first, third and fourth Mondays and Tuesdays. There was no need to take me to jail. I was not a flight risk.”
Shemwell says he hopes to turn the situation into something that will spur change.
"It’s just not good for the city,” he said. “It’s not good for the trust that we're trying to build as a community when it comes to the dynamics of the police and the community.”
Late Thursday night, the McKinney Police Department released body cam video of the councilman’s arrest.
In the video, Shemwell can be heard asking the officer if he knows who he is and says he'll call the chief. The officer says he's going to cite him for both speeding and failing to change the address on his license within 30 days. When Shemwell refuses to sign the citation, the police officer arrests him.
FOX 4 contacted Shemwell again for comment after the video was released, but have not heard back.
FOX 4 News is a FOX-owned station serving Dallas-Fort Worth and all of North Texas.
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