Texas grand jury clears officer who threw teen to ground, pulled weapon

MCKINNEY, Texas, June 24 (UPI) -- A Texas grand jury cleared a police officer who was seen on video throwing a teen to the ground and pulling a weapon to break up a pool party.

A Collin County grand jury decided not to indict McKinney police Cpl. Eric Casebolt in the June 2015 incident after an investigation by the Texas Rangers, officials said.

Casebolt, who is white, was recorded holding a black teenage girl to the ground and drawing his gun on two other youths at the scene. Casebolt resigned from the department after hundreds of protesters marched outside an elementary school, calling it a case of racism and classism.

Casebolt's attorneys said he was stressed out by two incidents before arriving at a call for a rowdy pool party, and he later apologized. McKinney police called the incident "indefensible."

"We're glad that the system worked in his favor in this case," Casebolt's attorney, Tom Mills said. "He was relieved and glad that the Rangers had done the thorough investigation that they did."

The attorney for Dajerria Becton — the 16-year-old girl who was thrown to the ground -- said the family plans to file civil rights and personal injury lawsuits.

Emmanuel Obi, attorney for another person at the party, said he wants to review the evidence sent to the Texas Rangers for the investigation.

"It's absolutely ridiculous," Obi said of the grand jury's decision.