Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office releases video of detention of 2 teens

SUGAR LAND, Texas - The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office has released body camera video of a controversial encounter between two teenagers and deputies.

One of the teen's family's shared cell phone video of the incident with FOX 26 earlier this week and expressed their outrage.

On Friday, the sheriff's office said the investigation is still ongoing, but they are releasing the deputy's body camera footage "in the interest of transparency."

What they're saying:

"The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office is aware of the videos circulating online. At this time, we are unable to comment due to an ongoing investigation. However, we are releasing this body camera footage in the interest of transparency. Please be advised that the video contains profanity. Once the investigation is complete, we will provide further comment," the sheriff's office wrote.

2 teens detained in Sugar Land

The backstory:

The incident occurred when deputies responded to an active burglary call with limited information, identifying the suspects only as two Black males. The two teenagers, who live in the area, were meeting up when the encounter with law enforcement took place.

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The video released Friday shows the deputy spotting the teens and asking them to "come here" and stop so he can talk to them. The teens keep on walking through the neighborhood as the deputy follows.

After about a minute, the deputy grabs one of teen's hands and gets them behind his back. The teen ends up on the ground as deputies get his wrists into handcuffs.

The teen is heard telling his friend to call his mom during the interaction and telling deputies he "did nothing". They put him in the back of an FBCSO vehicle.

The other teen, who has his cell phone out, then walks away as deputies approach. The deputy tells him he is not under arrest and that they want to talk to him as the teen walks away.

The deputy follows, telling the teen that if he runs, he's going to get tased. The deputy takes out his taser and points it at the teen, ordering him to get on the ground. The teen then gets down on the ground. Deputies handcuff him and put him in the back of a patrol vehicle.

The hour-and-five-minute video shows deputies talking about the investigation and the detentions, speaking with the teens and speaking with one of the teen's family members. Parts of the video have no audio.

About 32 minutes into the video, the deputy is heard telling one of teens, "So right now, we're just going to review something real quick on our video footage. And if we can, if we determine that you guys aren't involved, guess what, you're free to go. And it could've been way easier if y'all would've just stopped and listened to me. You realize that right? This became so much more difficult because y'all just didn't stop and listen. If you weren't doing anything wrong, what's it matter. If you guys knew you were doing nothing wrong, what's it matter if you guys stop and talk to me?"

About 38 minutes into the video, the teens are released.

Family members want to see changes

What they're saying:

FOX 26 spoke to one of the teen's family members earlier this week, prior to the body camera footage being released.

A week after the incident, one of the teen's mother Shawnie P. described the distressing moment she learned of her son's detention. "No, I just froze," she said. "I got here and there were four cop cars, four guys, and a female."

Marie Hanks, the boy's aunt, expressed concern over the impact on the teenagers. "Making the boys feel threatened in their own community and neighborhood is alarming," she said. "Especially in this area that is so culturally diverse."

Marie Hanks criticized the deputies' actions, saying, "For the deputies not to take them into consideration and to treat those boys as criminals, only to apologize an hour later, it’s not acceptable."

The family is calling for the deputies involved to be discharged and for changes within the department. "They speak a lot about sensitivity training and learning how to work with the public, but that’s not enough," Hanks said. "Something definitely needs to be done internally."

The incident is under investigation

The other side:

In a statement provided to FOX 26 this week, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office acknowledged the situation, stating, "The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office expects professional demeanor from its employees. This incident will be investigated to determine the basis for taking the person into custody and any subsequent action. As soon as any determination is made, notice will be provided."