A shocking video shows a grandmother falling on her grandson, who was accused of running a stop sign, as police officers brandish weapons
A video shows a 21-year-old black man in Midland, Texas, lying on the ground, asking police officers whether they intend to shoot him while the officers point guns toward him.
Then, as police approach the man — identified as Tye Anders, 21 — and begin to arrest him, the video shows his 90-year-old grandmother topple over on top of him.
Anders' attorney told Insider his client was charged with evading arrest, which he plans to fight.
His lawyer said he would be filing a civil complaint against the Midland Police Department.
A dramatic video shows a 21-year-old Texas man lying on the ground while police officers point their weapons toward him and onlookers beg officers to put down their weapons. At the climax of the video, the man's grandmother can be seen falling on her grandson as officers begin to arrest him.
The police said they chased Tye Anders down because he went through a stop sign.
A video of the altercation shows Anders lowering himself to the ground as police officers point guns at him from near their vehicles.
"We are not going to do anything as long as you listen," a police officer can be heard saying in the video.
"Stay calm," another officer adds.
Anders then appears to ask officers why they were "waiting on" him.
"And now you're going to shoot," Anders said.
The officers, who continue to point their weapons at Anders, tell him to stand up and walk backward toward them.
"He's got guns on him," a person behind the camera shouts back. "He's scared. Do you all not see how many black people are getting shot? Do you all not see that?"
Voices, apparently from panicked family members, can be heard urging the 21-year-old to remain on the ground and keep his hands down. At one point during the three-minute video, Anders is heard begging officers to put their weapons down.
"I'm scared," Anders repeats.
Near the end of the video, a woman identified as Anders' 90-year-old grandmother can be seen standing over him as police officers approach. As they begin to make their arrest, his grandmother is seen falling to the ground on top of Anders, and the person filming the video runs over to the group right before the video ends.
Anders' lawyer, the Dallas-based Justin Moore, said Anders had recently been "getting pulled over and harassed" by the local police department. In a post to Instagram, Moore said the incident involved about a dozen offers who "swarmed" his grandmother's home "as if this was a response to a violent offense."
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"We believe and maintain that this was a stop based on racial profiling, and there was no traffic violation," Moore previously told the local news outlet NewsWest 9.
"As Tye laid on the ground compliant, yet scared, his 90-year-old grandmother came out to deescalate this high-stress situation by praying for her grandson and officers," his lawyer wrote. "That also didn't work. As the officers approached, they ended up assaulting her and knocking a 90-year-old woman to the ground."
He said Anders' grandmother "passed out moments after being pushed to the ground" and was taken to get medical attention over fears she had a stroke or another "serious complication." Moore told Insider by phone Wednesday that he believed the woman was doing OK after the incident. It is not clear from the video what caused the woman to fall.
Moore told Insider that Anders alleged "an officer struck him multiple times in the face" while in the back of a police car after his arrest.
The Midland Police Department did not return a request for comment from Insider but told NewsWest 9 the Saturday incident occurred after Anders failed to stop at a stop sign and then drove to his grandmother's house.
The police told the outlet that officers directed Anders to exit his vehicle but that he initially refused to cooperate.
"Upon exiting the vehicle, officers advised the subject to walk towards them to be detained, the subject then stopped and laid on the ground," the police told the Odessa, Texas, television station. Officers arrested him on the charge of evading arrest. He was later released on bond.
Moore said Anders — who was convicted in January of possessing less than 2 ounces of marijuana — planned to fight the charge, which is a third-degree felony in Texas. He added that he intended to file a formal complaint against the police department and investigate whether civil-rights claims existed against it.
On Tuesday, Moore held a press conference with the social-justice group Next Generation Action Network in which he said "facts show that Mr. Anders did not evade arrest."
Midland District Attorney Laura Nodolf told KENS5 in a statement that her office was reviewing evidence the police submitted, "including dashcam and bodycam videos, once that is complete we will evaluate if this case will be presented to a grand jury and the felony charge will be prosecuted." She also told the station that any officer misconduct would be thoroughly investigated.
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