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Video shows Texas deputy pinning teen to the ground, arresting her mother

The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident, which began with calls about the teen attempting suicide, officials said.
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A Texas sheriff's office opened an investigation after a video posted to social media showed a deputy pinning an 18-year-old to the ground and then arresting her mother.

The deputy was placed on administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation into the Tuesday incident, which is a standard protocol, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

The Facebook video shows Kaufman County Deputy Martin pinning the teen, who is Black, on the ground. She is on her back and is crying. Her mother asks the deputy to get off her, the video shows.

Image: Body cam footage
Body cam footage from Kaufman County Sheriff's Deputy Martin.Kaufman County Sheriff's Office

"You can get up. You don't have to do her like this," the woman says as she grabs her daughter's hand to console her.

The deputy says he cannot get up because the teen had attempted suicide.

A second deputy arrives and turns her over onto her stomach so she can be placed in handcuffs. The situation escalates as the deputies help the teen stand and begin walking her toward a sheriff's vehicle.

The video shows the mother accusing Deputy Martin of failing to record the incident and asking the deputies to loosen the handcuffs. Deputy Martin is seen in the video taking the mother to the ground and arresting her.

The Facebook video doesn't show what led to the mother's arrest. The sheriff's office said in its press release that the mother, Antanique Ray, pulled on her daughter's arm and Deputy Martin told her not to touch the teen. Ray then "struck Deputy Martin," according to the sheriff's office.

Ray was taken to the county jail on charges of assault on a public servant and interference with public duties, the sheriff's office said. She has since been released. It's not clear if she has obtained an attorney.

The teen, identified by Ray as Nekia Trigg, was taken to a mental health facility for evaluation, according to authorities.

The sheriff's office said the incident began with the department receiving "multiple calls about a female attempting suicide." The department released audio from a 911 call in which a concerned woman reported the incident.

Authorities said Deputy Martin responded and found the teen crying and walking barefoot down the sidewalk.

In body-camera video released by the sheriff's office, the deputy is heard asking Trigg why she's upset. She tells him that she's OK and continues walking. Deputy Martin asks her to talk to him but she says she doesn't want to engage.

The deputy is seen grabbing Trigg's arm and tells her she needs to stay, the video shows. "OK," she says through tears. "Why are you hurting me?"

Trigg asks the deputy twice if she can call her mother and expresses concern that the deputy is going to hurt her.

"I don't want you to hurt me," she says, getting visibly upset.

In the video, Trigg denies attempting suicide and tells the deputy that she wants to go home and call her sister. Deputy Martin is still holding onto her arm and tells Trigg he's going to place her in handcuffs if she continues to pull away from him.

She begins screaming and sobbing and tells the deputy he's hurting her. Deputy Martin radios for help and twists Trigg’s arm behind her back in an attempt to place her in handcuffs. They both hit the ground and the deputy's camera falls off but continues to record.

Trigg is heard telling the deputy several times that he's hurting her. While on the ground, she says "I can't breathe" more than 20 times, the video shows.

The sheriff's office said the deputy used a top mount maneuver to keep the teen on the ground to prevent her from hurting herself. The maneuver, a common technique in jiujitsu, allowed the deputy to control the teen's lower body "without impeding breathing" and preventing "injury to both parties," the sheriff's office said in the press release.

As the deputy waited for help to arrive, the teen's family "encircled Deputy Martin, screaming and threatening him," authorities said.

Ray, Trigg's mother, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. She said at a press conference on Thursday that she was just trying to make sure her daughter was OK.

"I didn't feel that I threatened him in any way or any nature," she said. "I made sure that I was clear in what my reason for being there was."

Ray went on to say that her "only goal" was to calm the situation down.

"So, OK, you're not going to let her up," she said. "Well I'm just going to hold her hand and if I can calm her down, maybe I can calm him down."

"At the end of the day, all I wanted was to be able to go home with my child."

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.