HOUSTON – Prairie View City Councilman Jonathan Miller and his attorneys, Benjamin L. Crump and Jolanda Jones, held a news conference Friday to discuss the indictment of the police officer who used a taser on Miller.
The officer, Michael Kelley was indicted by a grand jury on Monday, after Kelley said he tasered the councilman while wrestling with him for refusing to obey his commands. Dashcam video showed that the officer's statement was false.
The incident started outside of the councilman's home on Oct. 15.
According to Prairie View police, officers approached four men who were leaving Miller's home and questioned them about recent disturbances or suspicious activity in the area.
While police were questioning the men, Miller, 26, interrupted the investigation, police said.
At least two witnesses of the arrest told Channel 2 Investigates they believed the police officer who deployed his Taser used excessive force. One of the men pulled out a camera and started recording.
"As soon as they started pushing, I pulled out my camera. Because if there's a camera, the officer can't say my battery on my body cam went out or anything like that," Brandon Woodson said.
The clip Woodson forwarded to KPRC 2 appeared to show a man being given commands and then falling forward, presumably after the Taser was deployed.
Police said they ordered Miller to step back, but he refused. Miller was then told that he was being placed under arrest for interfering with the investigation.
Police said Miller resisted arrest and that is when they deployed the Taser.
Miller was arrested and charged with interfering with a public servant and resisting arrest. Those charges were dropped after dashcam video of the arrest was released.
The officers involved in the incident included a female officer involved in the Sandra Bland arrest, the chief said.