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Texas: State Trooper Brian Encinia Formally Fired

HeadlineMar 04, 2016

In Texas, state trooper Brian Encinia has formally been fired—eight months after he arrested 28-year-old African-American woman Sandra Bland, who was found hanged in her jail cell three days after her arrest. Dash cam footage of the arrest shows Encinia dragging Sandra Bland out of her car and threatening to “light [her] up.” Sandra Bland can later be heard on video accusing the police officer of slamming her head into the ground. She said she had epilepsy, to which Trooper Encinia replies, “Good.” In January, Encinia was indicted on perjury charges for lying to a grand jury about the traffic stop. Authorities say Bland committed suicide while in jail, a claim her family rejects.

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