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Pepper-Spraying Texas Cop Update

4K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  Steve Hunt 
#1 ·

A firestorm erupted last March when a video surfaced that showed a Texas police officer pepper spraying a group of motorcyclists riding past his patrol car. Motorcyclists who watched the video (now with more than three million views) were angered at the apparent assault on riders. The cop, William Figueroa, claimed he needed to spray the riders because they wouldn't vacate the lane next to his patrol car that was pulled over at the side of the road.

Surely the overly aggressive cop would be severely reprimanded for his actions that could've hurt or even killed riders as they rode past, right? Well, thanks to our favorite moto-riding attorney, John Butrus, we were able to dig into the situation. Sadly, the outcome of the investigation seems to be far too lenient for an officer who demonstrated a complete lack of concern for the safety of our fellow riders.
Read more about the Pepper-Spraying Texas Cop Update at Motorcycle.com.
 
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#2 ·
I'm suspecting we are not getting the whole story. If this pack of riders were participating in a ROC-style of anarchical mayhem, then I would support the officer's action. The last few times I've been to the DFW area, I have seen some large motorcycle gatherings that just make me cringe at their behavior. There's def a bad problem there with this sort of thing.
 
#8 ·
I'd like to see the rest of the video footage, I'm sure there would have been multiple GoPro's recording at the time.


Have seen this time and time again, masses of riders all kitted up in t-shirts and shorts/jeans with bikes decked out with stunt cages, oversized rear sprocks, caved in fuel tanks etc. But none are doing anything wrong. They are all just out for a leisurely cruise to the local starbucks then home to hang out the washing. Bikes are the victim, its the cop, the car or the pedestrian that is in the wrong.


Its all BS. These particular types of groups make the rest of us out there look like D-Bags. Blocking freeways, intimidating drivers, brake checking traffic, running red lights etc etc.


If this group were like the above mentioned it shouldn't have been mace - should have been a fire hose.
 
#10 ·
I read a report that the officer took to his actions because the group was directed to not be in the right hand lane. I imagine to allow other motorists to use the road and get by them. As you can see in the pic, they are in both lanes quite a ways back with just two 4-wheel vehicles between the group. Maybe this was the officers last effort to make them comply with the direction to move over.

If I find the report I read, I'll post it here. The History on my work computer doesn't save so we'll see.
 
#12 ·
Most cops in large cities these days are very aware of the "public microscope" they are under. I would have a very hard time believing that this officer just whipped out his mace to get his jollies off without this particular event having been escalated to this level. The fact that the city of Fort Worth released him from wrong-doing tells me a lot. He was investigated and cleared - so those that cleared him know more than the 2-3 paragraph story we are being fed. Unless this cop was a complete idiot - he knew what he was doing and I'm confident that he was not putting any other innocent parties at risk by spraying these guys. That picture in the link pretty much confirms for me what I suspect what was going on, and I agree with -LG-, a fire hose may have been more appropriate, lol.

There's a big difference between a small group of people having fun in a remote parking lot (stunting) or on a back-woods road (speeding) and a very large group creating mayhem (general all hell breaking loose without regard for any one else) in the middle of a very busy highway.

2PumpChump summed up very accurately how many of these large "rides" go down. How is law enforcement supposed to react? How can they react? I'll tell you how - they get frustrated and pissed off, and have no choice but to let them go about their thing. Then YOU just happen to come along 10 minutes later, maybe going 10 mph over the speed limit (but riding in a safe, controlled manner) and the cop takes his frustration out on you. That's why I don't feel the least amount of compassion for those morons that partake in ROC-style gatherings.
 
#13 ·
I would just like to mention that being pepper sprayed at those speeds is likely NOT going to cause those bikers to pin the throttle. They will most likely pull in the clutch and start applying the brakes (and possibly start looking for a way off to the side of the freeway).

I'm not speaking from pepper spray experience, but I did have a scenario where I was at a red light with the face shield up and when the green light hit, I took off without pulling my face shield back down (as I usually do - mainly to get some air in my helmet and cool me off a bit) until I accelerate to driving speed, then pull it down. Well, this particular time, a big gust of dust blew into my face - sand in my eyes, burning, hard to see, that kind of stuff. My first reaction to pull in the clutch, then look to my side best I could to make sure there were no cars and slowly pull over to take care of that situation.

Now, obviously, pepper spray is going to burn and choke a whole lot more than some dust, but the point I'm getting to is that when your vision is affected and you get burning sensations, your jerk-reaction should be "I need to slow down and pull over".
 
#14 ·
I don't like either sides. **** those big group rides and **** the cops who purposely are out to harm.

Cops in NY every year have 1-2 months where all they do is bust balls because they're told too. They'll go out of their way to make you crash to ticket you for something you didn't do during those months.

I was invited to one of those big rides once, it was the year they ****ed with the range Rover. I'm glad I didn't go.
 
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