A Texas mother, Taylor Rogers, has filed a lawsuit claiming that police officers from the Santa Fe ISD Police Department handcuffed her and held her down on a pile of fire ants during an arrest for a traffic violation in 2021. The officers allegedly twisted her leg, hog-tied her, and buried her face in a colony of fire ants while she screamed in pain. Civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen spoke at a news conference about the incident, stating that Rogers was stopped for no reason and mistreated by the police officers.
Dramatic police bodycam footage from the arrest shows an officer holding Rogers down on the grass after she allegedly fled from police following an illegal turn in a school parking lot. Rogers can be heard in the video expressing her discomfort as the fire ants bite her face and begging the officers to let go of her. She claims that she was unable to swat the insects away because she was handcuffed and that the police did not assist her in removing the ants.
Images of Rogers after the arrest reveal numerous fire ant bite marks on her face, neck, chest, and shoulders, which her attorney described as a form of torture. Rogers also mentioned that her 9-year-old son witnessed the incident as he sat in the backseat of her car. Santa Fe ISD Police Chief Ruben Espinoza disputed Rogers’ claims, stating that there were no fire ants visible in the arrest photos and alleging that the bodycam video shared by Rogers’ attorney was misleading.
Espinoza further explained that the officers assisted Rogers in getting up off the ground after she agreed to calm down, and he insisted that she was treated with respect and dignity throughout the arrest. Despite pleading guilty to charges related to fleeing from the police, Rogers maintains that she drove away from Espinoza after he startled her by banging on her car and pointing a gun at her, which caused her to panic. Espinoza described Rogers as irate and accused her of intentionally disregarding his instructions and fleeing from the police.
The Santa Fe Police Department did not provide a response to requests for additional comments regarding the incident. The lawsuit filed by Taylor Rogers against the officers involved seeks justice for the alleged mistreatment and violation of her rights during the arrest. The case has sparked controversy and raised concerns about police conduct and accountability in handling such situations. As the legal proceedings unfold, the community and local authorities will be closely monitoring the developments in this disturbing case of alleged police brutality and misconduct.
