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'Without That Video, I Would Have Been in Jail': Black Father Accused of Assaulting Cops Who Barged Into Home Uses Son's Recording to Beat Charges
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VetOfTheSeas discuss.online VetOfTheSeas@discuss.online
Joined: 2025-04-27
Quote

A Black Texas man who aspired to become a police officer spent 16 months fighting felony accusations that he assaulted two officers during a “welfare check” at his home. A jury acquitted him after his son recorded video of the arrest.

The video caught Huntsville police and prosecutors by surprise, Stewart said, because they had expected to secure a conviction based on the officers’ accounts.

The cops accused Stewart of spitting in one of their faces and shoving the other officer, but none of that is captured on video.

“I don’t like to call people liars,” Stewart told ABC 13 Houston after his acquittal.

“But fabrication, yes. Cover up, yes.”

523   Original
Armok_the_bunny lemmy.world Armok_the_bunny@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-21
#2 · Quote Reply

Police testimony should never be admissible as evidence without bodycam footage to back it up, not these days.

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cheers_queers lemmy.zip cheers_queers@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-06-04
#3 · Quote Reply

i dont mind calling them liars, theyre murderous psychopaths

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isleepinahammock lemmy.blahaj.zone isleepinahammock@lemmy.blahaj.zone
Joined: 2024-09-06
#4 · (edited) Quote Reply

Every police officer should have to wear a body cam at all times while on duty. That body camera should have a bright outward pointing light on it and other means of clearly indicating it's recording.

It should also be legal to kill any on-duty police officer that turns their camera off. See a cop without their camera on? Perfectly legal to pull out a gun and drop the pig.

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Mycatiskai lemmy.ca Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2023-06-27
#5 · Quote Reply

I hope he doesn't want to be a cop anymore. I doubt any department would take him after Googling his name.

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MrSelfDestruct25 fedinsfw.app MrSelfDestruct25@fedinsfw.app
Joined: 2026-02-20
#6 · Quote Reply

Hang the cops by the balls

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PRIMEcavitationfetishist quokk.au PRIMEcavitationfetishist@quokk.au
Joined: 2026-08-03
#7 · Quote Reply

If a cop says the sky is blue there's a hell of a sunset going on outside.

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PRIMEcavitationfetishist quokk.au PRIMEcavitationfetishist@quokk.au
Joined: 2026-08-03
#8 · Quote Reply

Hang the cops by the balls

Porcine centipede them and make them hunt each others families or be castrated segment by segment.

Then do it anyway.

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Kairos lemmy.today LodeMike@lemmy.today
Joined: 2023-12-26
#9 · Quote Reply

Every police officer should have to wear a body cam at all times while on duty. That body camera should have a bright outward pointing light on it and other means of clearly indicating it's recording. It should also be legal to kill any on-duty police officer that turns their camera off. See a cop without their camera on? Perfectly legal to pull out a gun and drop the pig.

At this point I will never believe a single cop's word.

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minorkeys sh.itjust.works minorkeys@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2026-04-22
#10 · Quote Reply

"To beat charges.."? You mean, prove his innocence?

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VitoRobles lemmy.today VitoRobles@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-01-26
#11 · Quote Reply

Police testimony should never be admissible as evidence without bodycam footage to back it up, not these days.

I was kicked off a jury for saying that.

The judge asked us all if we can all agree that the words of the cops was considered valid evidence.

I said no, because cops are human and infallible like all of us, and they can lie.

Judge got so mad and I wasn't part of jury after that.

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Default Username lemmy.dbzer0.com defaultusername@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2025-06-12
#12 · Quote Reply

I was kicked off a jury for saying that. The judge asked us all if we can all agree that the words of the cops was considered valid evidence. I said no, because cops are human and infallible like all of us, and they can lie. Judge got so mad and I wasn't part of jury after that.

Nitpick: "infallible" means not capable of failing.

Also, judges and cops often times work together very closely, which is a practice that needs to stop.

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schipelblorp sh.itjust.works schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2026-05-16
#13 · Quote Reply

In a sane world, every case revolving around those officers testimony would be thrown out.

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🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 pawb.social Kolanaki@pawb.social
Joined: 2024-10-06
#14 · (edited) Quote Reply

If the pigs are just gonna turn off their body cameras, we all should be recording everything those fascist fucks do. We need our own body cams.

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gAlienLifeform lemmy.world gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-12
#15 · Quote Reply

In a sane world, every case revolving around those officers testimony would be thrown out.

In a really sane world they'd be arrested for attempted false imprisonment

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Tollana1234567 lemmy.today Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-04
#16 · Quote Reply

I was kicked off a jury for saying that. The judge asked us all if we can all agree that the words of the cops was considered valid evidence. I said no, because cops are human and infallible like all of us, and they can lie. Judge got so mad and I wasn't part of jury after that.

we had jury duty last sept, and they asked the potential juror pools, most got kicked off one reason or another. of course the prosecutor/defense attorney tried to sus out if people are doing it to quickly ge of jury duty as well. some courts will drag this on if they can.

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manxu piefed.social manxu@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-02-27
#17 · Quote Reply

In a really sane world they'd be arrested for attempted false imprisonment

It boggles the mind that police officers are not held to the same standard they hold others to.

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neukenindekeuken sh.itjust.works neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2025-04-08
#18 · Quote Reply

"To beat charges.."? You mean, prove his innocence?

Innocent until proven guilty comes with a skin color and bank account requirement.

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HerbGrower slrpnk.net HerbGrower@slrpnk.net
Joined: 2026-07-09
#19 · Quote Reply

Guilty until proven innocent seems to be increasingly common...

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13igTyme piefed.social 13igTyme@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-08-14
#20 · Quote Reply

Innocent until proven guilty comes with a skin color and bank account requirement.

Don't forget praying to the correct made up person that controls the universe.

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HugeNerd lemmy.ca HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2025-03-06
#21 · Quote Reply

If the pigs are just gonna turn off their body cameras, we all should be recording everything those fascist fucks do. We need our own body cams.

Or a small swarm of recording drones.

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cynar lemmy.world cynar@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-17
#22 · Quote Reply

Every police officer should have to wear a body cam at all times while on duty. That body camera should have a bright outward pointing light on it and other means of clearly indicating it's recording. It should also be legal to kill any on-duty police officer that turns their camera off. See a cop without their camera on? Perfectly legal to pull out a gun and drop the pig.

There are times it's reasonable for an officer to turn their camera off. E.g. some people might be willing to share information, but not go to court over it. Turning off their camera to get information unofficially then makes sense.

That said, a malfunctioning body camera should be seen in the same light as destruction of evidence. It is assumed to be the worst case, unless proven otherwise, or reasonably explained.

FYI, apparently a lot of UK police love the body cams. It makes their paperwork so much easier. It's also apparently quite satisfying to watch a hungover idiot realise exactly how rude they were to the officer trying to defuse things outside a pub.

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A_norny_mousse piefed.zip A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip
Joined: 2026-02-04
#23 · Quote Reply

I was kicked off a jury for saying that. The judge asked us all if we can all agree that the words of the cops was considered valid evidence. I said no, because cops are human and infallible like all of us, and they can lie. Judge got so mad and I wasn't part of jury after that.

fallible

13
A_norny_mousse piefed.zip A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip
Joined: 2026-02-04
#24 · Quote Reply

A jury acquitted him after his son recorded video of the arrest.

Causality seems messed up here.
Shouldn't this read "A jury acquitted him after seeing his son's recorded video of the arrest." or some such?

37
AngryCommieKender lemmy.world AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-08-02
#25 · (edited) Quote Reply

It boggles the mind that police officers are not held to the same standard they hold others to.

In the US that comes down to Harlow v Fitzgerald, ç 1982. The crux of the case is §1983. Should have been fairly straightforward, as when 1983 was written and passed by Congress, in 1881 it stripped all legal immunity from all civil servants. In 1884 an unnamed secretary took it upon themselves to remove a 16 word clause that, by said removal, reversed the intent of the law. This occured when said secretary was given the task of directly copying The Congressional Record, word for word, in 1884. The SCOTUS of 1982 was handed the illegally amended wording, though they probably didn't know that, given the wording of both the majority and dissenting opinions.

http://web.archive.org/web/20230520080201/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/us/politics/qualified-immunity-supreme-court.html

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BarneyPiccolo lemmy.today BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-30
#26 · (edited) Quote Reply

If the pigs are just gonna turn off their body cameras, we all should be recording everything those fascist fucks do. We need our own body cams.

If body camera footage doesn't exist, then there is no crime, and the person goes free, no matter what the cops testify to.

Cop testimony is ALWAYS fabricated, and should not be allowed as evidence. The body camera is their only voice. If it doesn't exist, there is no evidence.

21
BarneyPiccolo lemmy.today BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-30
#27 · Quote Reply

Every police officer should have to wear a body cam at all times while on duty. That body camera should have a bright outward pointing light on it and other means of clearly indicating it's recording. It should also be legal to kill any on-duty police officer that turns their camera off. See a cop without their camera on? Perfectly legal to pull out a gun and drop the pig.

Police testimony should not be allowed. The body cam is their only voice. If they turn it off, then they have no testimony, so without it, you better have some other evidence, or the guy is going free.

15
BarneyPiccolo lemmy.today BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-30
#28 · Quote Reply

I was kicked off a jury for saying that. The judge asked us all if we can all agree that the words of the cops was considered valid evidence. I said no, because cops are human and infallible like all of us, and they can lie. Judge got so mad and I wasn't part of jury after that.

ALL cop testimony is fabricated.

9
Duamerthrax lemmy.world Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-08-27
#29 · Quote Reply

Guilty until proven innocent seems to be increasingly common...

Increasing more exposed to have already been common.

6
EpeeGnome feddit.online EpeeGnome@feddit.online
Joined: 2025-06-05
#30 · Quote Reply

A jury acquitted him after his son recorded video of the arrest. Causality seems messed up here. Shouldn't this read "A jury acquitted him after seeing his son's recorded video of the arrest." or some such?

It describes a technically accurate sequence of events: His son recorded the video, and some time after that the jury acquitted him. But yeah, the wording weirdly seems to imply the son did the recording because the jury wasn't yet convinced, and only then did they decide to acquit. Your phrasing is way better.

7
EpeeGnome feddit.online EpeeGnome@feddit.online
Joined: 2025-06-05
#31 · (edited) Quote Reply

Prediction: The police will get in no trouble whatsoever for provably committing perjury.

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schipelblorp sh.itjust.works schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2026-05-16
#32 · Quote Reply

In a really sane world they'd be arrested for attempted false imprisonment

I mean, I'm going for the most insane of sane world to keep my expectations low.

5
Archelon lemmy.world Archelon@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-18
#33 · (edited) Quote Reply

“I told them, ‘I do not give you consent to come in my house’ but I guess the word consent triggered the officer because they pushed past me and started grabbing on me,” Stewart said.

Edit: just felt this line needed to be highlighted.

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fyzzlefry retrolemmy.com fyzzlefry@retrolemmy.com
Joined: 2025-03-16
#34 · Quote Reply

I was kicked off a jury for saying that. The judge asked us all if we can all agree that the words of the cops was considered valid evidence. I said no, because cops are human and infallible like all of us, and they can lie. Judge got so mad and I wasn't part of jury after that.

Next time stay quiet

6
UnderpantsWeevil lemmy.world UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-14
#35 · Quote Reply

Black Texas man beats cops with son's cell phone.

5
UnderpantsWeevil lemmy.world UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-14
#36 · Quote Reply

Guilty until proven innocent seems to be increasingly common...

Police testimony consistently gets the benefit of the doubt among plebs who don't understand that these people are constantly lying.

14
UnderpantsWeevil lemmy.world UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-14
#37 · Quote Reply

In a really sane world they'd be arrested for attempted false imprisonment

they’d be arrested

By whom?

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HerbGrower slrpnk.net HerbGrower@slrpnk.net
Joined: 2026-07-09
#38 · Quote Reply

Police testimony consistently gets the benefit of the doubt among plebs who don't understand that these people are constantly lying.

I know I wouldn't consider a witness to be overly reliable without supporting evidence.

2
Alwaysnownevernotme lemmy.world Alwaysnownevernotme@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-07-13
#39 · Quote Reply

Prediction: The police will get in no trouble whatsoever for provably committing perjury.

Perjury? What are they Democrats?

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W. Pilecki piefed.social fratermus@piefed.social
Joined: 2026-01-09
#40 · Quote Reply

fallible

flammable

4
W. Pilecki piefed.social fratermus@piefed.social
Joined: 2026-01-09
#41 · Quote Reply

Nitpick: "infallible" means not capable of failing. Also, judges and cops often times work together very closely, which is a practice that needs to stop.

judges and cops often times work together very closely, which is a practice that needs to stop

cop - prosecutor interdependance is also a problem.

18
ZebulonP lemmy.world ZebulonP@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-07-02
#42 · Quote Reply

Don't forget praying to the correct made up person that controls the universe.

Nah, plenty of brown and poor people pray to the same god.

2
AeonFelis lemmy.world AeonFelis@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-03
#43 · Quote Reply

Guilty until proven innocent seems to be increasingly common...

Reading comprehension. It says right there in the headline that he is black.

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HubertManne piefed.social HubertManne@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-03-13
#44 · Quote Reply

Every police officer should have to wear a body cam at all times while on duty. That body camera should have a bright outward pointing light on it and other means of clearly indicating it's recording. It should also be legal to kill any on-duty police officer that turns their camera off. See a cop without their camera on? Perfectly legal to pull out a gun and drop the pig.

officer testimony should be inadmissable. they should be required to just use body camera. its on them to have them always going.

4
Zannsolo lemmy.world Zannsolo@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-10-17
#45 · Quote Reply

There is no way is ever vote guilty if I was on a jury based solely on police testimony. I feel like there's should be an every evolving standard packet of police lying in reports and in court that every defense lawyer submits as evidence that police testimony is not reliable on its own.

21
UnderpantsWeevil lemmy.world UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-14
#46 · Quote Reply

I know I wouldn't consider a witness to be overly reliable without supporting evidence.

Veteran DAs are very good at lining up exhibits and experts that get admitted as evidence.

Civilians who think they can simply outwit the system will routinely step right in the first trap, because they don't even know the rules of the game they're playing. It wasn't just the son's video that saved him. This guy must have had an amazing lawyer and an abundance of good sense. How many hours did he sit in an interrogation room without talking? How many jail-house snitches and journalist phone calls did he no-sell? How much physical, psychological, and financial abuse did he endure? The article doesn't say.

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Thebeardedsinglemalt lemmy.world Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-07-17
#47 · Quote Reply

Police testimony should never be admissible as evidence without bodycam footage to back it up, not these days.

Yup. Require them to wear body cams at all times. If anything is taken to court and "malfunction" "broken "corrupted data" is ever an issue then their testimony is immediately thrown out.

I guarantee you will start seeing 100% uptime on those body cams after that.

Also yes, always record cops

12
ViceroTempus lemmy.world ViceroTempus@lemmy.world
Joined: 2025-05-27
#48 · Quote Reply

If anybody ever wonders why I celebrate when a class traitor gets killed, this article exemplifies why. ACAB, fuck reform, the ranchers' dogs deserve to be put down.

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Jax sh.itjust.works Jax@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-08-22
#49 · Quote Reply

Nah, plenty of brown and poor people pray to the same god.

Most of the world prays to the same god - they're all just equally dumb in their interpretation of it.

2
Bytemeister lemmy.world Bytemeister@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-29
#50 · Quote Reply

There is no way is ever vote guilty if I was on a jury based solely on police testimony. I feel like there's should be an every evolving standard packet of police lying in reports and in court that every defense lawyer submits as evidence that police testimony is not reliable on its own.

If I were on a jury I would 1000% consider police testimony as biased and unreliable.

Sadly, I probably won't ever get picked for jury duty, because I know what jury nullification is, and I will absolutely tell my fellow potential jurors all about it.

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13igTyme piefed.social 13igTyme@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-08-14
#51 · Quote Reply

Nah, plenty of brown and poor people pray to the same god.

All three are required.

3
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