Fort Worth, Texas police office W. Figueroa was suspended from patrol duty pending an internal investigation after a video surfaced that seems to show him shooting pepper spray at a passing group of motorcyclists.
Shot by Jack Kinney on his helmet cam, the footage was posted to Facebook by Chase Stone, president of a motorcycle club called the East Texas Heat. He claims Figueroa’s intent was to cause a pileup.
“Law enforcement is here to protect and serve, not intentionally try to harm others,” Stone wrote on Facebook, asking others to share the video. “***THIS WAS BEYOND DANGEROUS***.”
Figueroa was on the side of the road conducting a traffic stop on a pickup truck that was acting as a safety vehicle for the pack of riders at the time of the riders’ passing.
Fort Worth police would not disclose why Figueroa discharged his pepper spray due to the investigation being ongoing, but did note they had received several complaints about the mob of bikers. As for Stone, he wants Figueroa to be treated just like any other civilian who endangered the lives of dozens of people.
“I wouldn’t want anyone to lose their job. I know people have families to feed. You have to have money, you have to a have career,” Stone told the Star Telegram. “But you’re here to protect and serve … not to harm. His intention was to harm one person, if not more, with that spray. It was very dangerous.”