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US officials release 'African-American' Sandra Bland's arrest video

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ANI London

U.S. officials have reportedly released a police dashcam video showing the arrest of an African-American woman in Texas, who died three days later in custody.

The footage of the July 10 arrest shows Sandra Bland's car being pulled over for failing to signal, which is then followed by a confrontation with the officer, reported the BBC.

The video clip shows a policeman issuing a ticket and then asking Bland to stub out her cigarette, which she refuses.

When she declines to step out of her car, the policeman tries unsuccessfully to pull her out and then appears to threaten her with a Taser and says, "I will light you up".

 

She then gets out of the car and the two of them move out of vision but the audio suggests that the confrontation becomes physical during the arrest before more cops arrive.

The video, released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, however, has abrupt breaks in continuity and is looped in several places, suggesting that it was doctored prior to release.

Social media users, including award winning film director Ava DuVernay, have questioned the video's authenticity.

The arresting officer claimed that he was kicked and has been put on administrative leave.

The coroner said that Bland hung herself in her cell but her family has demanded an independent autopsy.

State authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are both investigating her death.

The 28-year-old's death is the latest in a series of such incidents in the U.S., in which a black person has died while in police custody.

Other incidents, including the death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, touched off massive protests and unrest across the country in the past.

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First Published: Jul 22 2015 | 3:47 PM IST

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