A North Texas woman is speaking publicly after a traffic stop in Hurst escalated into a violent arrest that was captured on video and widely shared on social media.
The woman, identified as Taneisha Thompson, says she suffered physical injuries after being forcibly removed from her vehicle by a police officer during a January traffic stop. The encounter, which occurred while she was traveling with her 15-year-old son, has sparked public debate over police use of force and officer discretion during routine stops.
According to Thompson and her attorney, the incident began when a Hurst police officer pulled her over for allegedly speeding in a school zone while she was passing through the city.
Thompson said she had taken her son to a doctor’s appointment and a haircut earlier that day and was attempting to navigate the area after missing an exit.
Body camera and cellphone video recorded during the stop show the officer interacting with Thompson at her driver’s side window. At one point, she began recording the interaction with her phone because she felt the situation was escalating, she later said.
The confrontation intensified after the officer attempted to issue a speeding citation. According to accounts of the incident, Thompson refused to accept the ticket and threw it out of her car window after the officer placed it inside the vehicle.
Police told her that throwing the citation onto the roadway constituted littering and ordered her to step out of the vehicle.
When Thompson refused to exit the car, the officer attempted to remove her from the vehicle.
Video of the incident shows the officer reaching inside the vehicle and grabbing Thompson before pulling her out. Moments later, additional officers arrive and assist in removing her from the car and forcing her to the ground.
Thompson’s teenage son, who was sitting in the passenger seat, can be heard in the video pleading with officers to stop as the struggle unfolds.
Thompson said the experience was terrifying.
“It’s traumatizing. I was very scared,” she said in an interview following the incident.
Her attorney, civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt, said Thompson suffered multiple injuries during the arrest, including a black eye and a cut lip that required stitches.
Merritt argues that the officer used excessive force during what began as a routine traffic stop.
The Hurst Police Department confirmed that the encounter occurred on January 16, 2026, and said a formal complaint alleging excessive force was filed several days later.
According to a statement from the department, an internal affairs investigation was opened after the complaint. Officials say the review determined the allegations were unfounded, and the internal investigation has since been closed.
However, authorities noted that the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office is still reviewing the charges stemming from the original traffic stop.
Police have declined to release additional details while that review is ongoing.
Thompson’s legal team is now calling for an independent investigation into the officer’s conduct and the release of all body-camera footage from the incident.
Merritt argues the officer had multiple options to resolve the situation without force.
According to the attorney, the officer could have issued another citation or de-escalated the interaction rather than escalating the confrontation into an arrest.
The viral video has generated widespread reaction online, with many viewers questioning whether the level of force used during the arrest was justified.
Thompson says the most painful part of the experience was that her son witnessed the entire incident.
“I feel bad for my son that he had to see me that way,” she said.
As the case continues to be reviewed, the incident has added to ongoing conversations nationwide about police conduct, use of force, and how routine traffic stops can quickly escalate.