Blaze Media’s Sara Gonzales said this weekend that the Dallas Police Department told her they do not have bodycam footage during the moments Gonzales was allegedly assaulted by a staffer for Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke and a female officer with the DPD.
“Update: [Dallas PD] has responded that there is no bodycam footage,” Gonzales said via Twitter on Saturday. “Convenient.”
“[Beto O’Rourke’s] team did not respond to a request for comment,” she added. “Footage will be released this week and all legal options will be pursued.”
Update:@DallasPD has responded that there is no bodycam footage. Convenient.@BetoORourke’s team did not respond to a request for comment.
Footage will be released this week and all legal options will be pursued. https://t.co/NJsLThxged
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) March 12, 2022
When Gonzales pressed about the lack of body camera footage, DPD’s Brian Martinez cited the department’s General Order for Body Worn Cameras.
“However, due to the incident being under investigation we will not be able to disclose any further information,” Martinez told Gonzales.
The Daily Wire contacted the department for clarification on the matter, specifically about why the officer involved did not turn on her body camera, and if she’s currently being investigated for any of her actions related to the incident. We also asked for an update on the staffer who allegedly assaulted Gonzales.
“I cannot confirm nor release any names because no official charges have filed,” Michael Dennis told The Daily Wire. “Due to the incident being under investigation we will not be able to disclose any further information.”
Gonzales confirmed to The Daily Wire last week that she has filed complaints with the department against the officer and Beto staffer.
Dallas Police Department
Gonzales said last weekend that a female O’Rourke staffer tried to rip her phone from her hands while Gonzales was at a public event for the candidate in Dallas. Gonzales was then “manhandled” by a female officer with the DPD and almost fell down nearby stairs.
Not once was Gonzales directed not to record anything by anyone at the event, the conservative told The Daily Wire, adding that others had their phones out to record, too.
“Earlier today, I attended a Beto O’Rourke townhall,” Gonzales shared on social media at the time. “I started to record an interaction between Beto & a constituent while he was taking pictures. His staffer grabbed my phone & tried to pry it out of my hands, then a DPD officer manhandled me unprovoked. Beto is NOT for TX.”
“I will be consulting my attorney and requesting bodycam footage from DPD,” she continued. “There were people recording on their phones all afternoon. The police gave me no directive before manhandling me and almost pushing me down the stairs. Imagine what this man would allow if elected.”
Gonzales told The Daily Wire the staffer “attacked” her for filming O’Rourke.
“I started recording at this public forum, as I had seen many others do, and was immediately attacked by Beto’s staffer, who blocked me and grabbed my phone, trying to pull it out of my hands,” she recalled. “As I was attempting to maintain the grip on my phone while it was being pulled from me, a black female Dallas Police officer blindsided me and forcefully grabbed my arms, pushing me away where I nearly tripped down some steps.”
“She had given no directive, no instruction, no warning before forcefully putting her hands on me,” Gonzales said.
“I am not a criminal and had not broken any laws. I’ve never been in an incident like this with law enforcement, and have always been extremely supportive and respectful of them, but this incident affected me very viscerally. The fact that I had to wrestle my private property away from a stranger attempting to take it from me only to be manhandled by the police as if I were a criminal is deeply upsetting,” she added. “I feel violated.”