Video of APD Use of Force on East SIxth Goes Viral

Elisha Wright, sitting, says an officer punched him in the face (Provided by Stafford Moore, PLLC)

Family members of Elisha Wright Jr., a 22-year-old Black man charged with assaulting police, joined the Austin Justice Coali­tion on Wednesday to call attention to a questionable use of force by Austin police officers caught on video.

Taken just before 2am on the morning of May 1, the five-second video opens with Wright having been pushed to the ground by one of three Austin police officers at the intersection of Sixth and Trinity. As an officer stands over Wright, a woman walks purposefully toward a second officer. As she nears him, the officer pushes with both hands against her shoulders, sending her flying backward onto the street. The officer immediately rushes to pull the woman's hands behind her back. Wright simultaneously attempts to stand but is tackled by the other two officers, who punch him in the face.

Dallas attorney Justin Moore, who is representing Wright, appeared at Wednesday's rally and said that the video speaks for itself. "What we have here is the best evidence this case will ever have – the video that is circulating online. And that video clearly shows Elisha being victimized, brutalized by police officers."

An APD spokesperson said the department is aware of the video and provided this statement: "This incident began when multiple APD officers in the area responded to a fight between four people, including Mr. Elisha Wright and his companion. The incident is captured more completely by body-worn camera video. Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, but Mr. Wright and his companion sought to continue the altercation. Officers observed that Mr. Wright and his companion were the aggressors and took steps to arrest them. Mr. Wright hit an officer in the face with his fist, causing an injury before officers could arrest Mr. Wright and his companion."

"None of that happened, based on what I've heard from witnesses and people that were involved in the altercation," Moore said when asked about a police report containing the same information. He added that his client suffered a concussion from the arrest along with bruises and swelling to his face. But more important is the felony charge Wright received – assault of a public servant – which caused the revocation of his parole and could lead to years in prison. Moore said Wright was arrested on the morning of the rally while meeting with his parole officer and booked into jail as the speakers gave their remarks. He was released on bond the next day.

Near the end of the rally, Elisha Wright Sr., a lifelong Austinite, spoke about his son's arrest, saying that when he was young he accepted the fact that police used violence to make arrests. "But now, with everything that's going on, I can't just accept it, not for my kids," he said. Elisha "gets in trouble because he's a boy growing up, but I just want to be behind him and let the cops know that it's not acceptable."

APD has a policy specifying that body-cam footage of uses of force resulting in serious injury be released within 10 days of an incident, but the spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked whether this applies to the Wright arrest.

The Chronicle reached out to the woman whom Wright's attorneys and court documents identified as the thrown woman, but had not received a response as of press time.