White Texas man abuses Marvin Scott III protesters, throws woman's phone and threatens lawyer in viral video
PLANO, TEXAS: Texans protesting the death of Marvin Scott III have demanded the arrest of the eight officers who were involved in the killing. Now, they are also calling for the arrest of a civilian.
Scott was a 26-year-old Black man who died in March while in police custody at Collin County Jail. Police in Allen, Texas, arrested Scott on a marijuana possession charge on March 14 after finding him sitting next to a single joint at the Allen Premium Outlets mall. Scott had been diagnosed with schizophrenia two years prior.
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A doctor who evaluated Scott at Allen Presbyterian determined that he was fit for custody, his parents and attorney claim, and he was taken to Collin County Jail. As per the family, six jailers participated in torturing him, attempting to strap him to a restraint bed, pepper-spraying him and covering his face with a spit hood. His condition rapidly deteriorated and he eventually died.
On Sunday, May 2, protesters led a march through Plano and Frisco to honor Scott. As per a report, they had one last intersection to cross before finishing their march. Traffic stalled as the protesters headed toward the parking lot of a Plano Chick-fil-A.
There, a tall white man, wearing a navy shirt and sports sunglasses, moved toward protesters while screaming obscenities. In video footage of the incident, which has since gone viral, the man was seen approaching a Plano officer positioned at the intersection and demanding that he “get these f***ing people out of the way.” The man then walked towards a young Black woman and slapped the cell phone she was using to film him to the ground. Demonstrators circled around her and attorney Lee Merritt, who represents the Scott family, approached the man. The man then put his right fist on Merritt’s chest while holding up his left fist as if he was prepared to strike.
A police officer tried to intervene. “Get them out of here!” the man shouted. “F**k you!” he yelled at a protester. Shortly after, the man left the scene. Community advocate Hava Johnston said police should have arrested the man as soon as they witnessed him damaging the Black woman's property. “The question is: Why wasn’t that guy treated the same way that a person of color would have been treated?” she said.
Death ruled as homicide
The Collin County medical examiner officially ruled Marvin III’s death a homicide last week, more than a month after he was killed. Marvin III’s cause of death, according to Collin County Medical Examiner Dr William Rohr, was “fatal acute stress response in an individual with previously diagnosed schizophrenia during restraint struggle with law enforcement”.
Seven detention officers were fired. An internal investigation found that the officers violated department policies and procedures leading to the death of Scott, Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said. "Everyone in Collin County deserves safe and fair treatment, including those in custody at our jail," Skinner said in the statement. "I will not tolerate less.” An eighth officer who was also being investigated resigned, the release said.