Dallas

Charges Against Teens Pending After Controversial Arrest: Lawyer

Family wants phone back, officer fired and charged with official oppression

The mother who recorded the controversial arrests of her two teen sons earlier this month says charges are pending against both of her boys and that the police officer who arrested them may file assault charges against the older teen for brushing up against him.

Nelson also says she and her family are now facing eviction following the incident.

According to a notice given to Nelson on Friday, the family is being evicted from their apartment because occupants or guests were allegedly involved in a car break in. Two people were taken to jail."

The family has to move out by July 20, according to the eviction notice.

Latasha Nelson, along with her lawyer Kim Cole, spoke with the media Friday afternoon following a meeting with Arlington Chief of Police Will Johnson.

The mother who recorded the controversial arrests of her two teen sons earlier this month says charges are pending against both of her boys and that the police officer who arrested them may file assault charges against the older teen for brushing up against him.

Nelson told a number of reporters in the lobby of Arlington Police Headquarters that there are charges pending against both teens, including burglary of a vehicle for 14-year-old Trayvon and and interfering with police duties for 16-year-old Broderick.

Cole said police are still holding Nelson's property, her cellphone, and that the officer may file assault charges against the older teen for brushing up against him -- a charge Cole found laughable.

"This is what we're facing. The chief states that he will investigate all of the complaints with regard to the officer's conduct, as well as the offer to drop the charge in exchange for the video," Cole said, though she said she didn't think much emphasis was going to be placed on the offer to drop the charge for the video.

In a statement Friday evening, Arlington police said the preliminary investigation, "has not produced facts in support of the assertion that the mother was promised or offered anything in exchange for the video."

Nelson said Thursday Trayvon was detained by police on July 3 by police officers who said they were investigating a car burglary in the Addison Park Apartments.

A Arlington woman is asking for a police officer to be fired after she released a video of the officer arresting her two sons earlier this month.

In the video Trayvon can be seen being placed in the back of a police as Nelson asks the name of the officer who will be transporting him and where he'll be taken. The officer in the video refuses to share that information and walks away. As Nelson continues to plead for information about her son, her 16-year-old son Broderick steps beside her to console her, she said. It was then that Broderick suddenly enters the frame of the video as he's being taken to the ground by the officer. Police said Brown obstructed police operations.

Nelson was recording the incident with her cellphone, which she said was later confiscated by police officers who she said offered to return it and drop the charges against her children if she gave them the video of the arrests.

Video of the arrest was released Thursday; Nelson said her phone backed the video up to the cloud allowing her to access it even though the police still have her phone.

The police department's statement Friday addressed Nelson's concern about notifying her where her son was being taken by the officer.

The Texas Family Code outlines specific steps law enforcement must take when dealing with juvenile defendants, including informing the child’s parent or guardian where they are being taken.

"The department understands the importance of parental notification when taking custody of juveniles. No parental notification was captured on the video, and the department is investigating whether or not a notification was made at another time during the call," the statement said.

The Next Generation Action Network holds a news conference to discuss the case of a July 3 incident involving Arlington police.

Speaking on behalf of the family Thursday, Dominique Alexander, a spokesman for The Next Generation Action Network, has asked the department to file official oppression charges against the officer and then terminate him and to return Nelson's property.

Arlington police addressed the allegation of misconduct Thursday afternoon in posts on social media and in a formal statement.

"After reviewing the video, there are many questions that will require a thorough investigation," the department said. "As with any allegation of misconduct, we take this seriously. We want to maintain our position of transparency with our community by doing a complete and thorough review. This will include speaking with the family and officers involved in the video."

The Next Generation Action Network plans to hold a rally at Arlington City Hall on Monday at 7 p.m.

“This meeting should’ve been the chief showing sympathy to this family and dropping all of these charges and giving this mother her property and apologizing to this family,” said Dominique Alexander. “The Nelson family needs an apology from the Arlington Police Department and the police chief.”

Arlington police said the officer remains on duty and that the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The Nelson family has a YouCaring site for donations to help moving expenses.

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