#PepperSpray

A firestorm erupted last March when a video surfaced that showed a Texas police officer pepper spraying a group of motorcyclists riding past his patrol car. Motorcyclists who watched the video (now with more than three million views) were angered at the apparent assault on riders. The cop, William Figueroa, claimed he needed to spray the riders because they wouldn’t vacate the lane next to his patrol car that was pulled over at the side of the road.

Remember Officer William Figueroa, the pepper-spraying cop? If you need a reminder click here: Why Is This Cop Macing Motorcyclists?, and here: Pepper Spraying Texan Cop’s Excuse Is Complete BS.

Thanks to our Texas affiliate, John B., for staying abreast of dubious law enforcement goings-on in the Lone Star State, we have an update on officer W. Figueroa’s explanation of why he felt it necessary to pepper spray a group of passing motorcyclists. In a post by KXAS-TV, officer Figueroa is quoted saying in his report of the incident that, “multiple motorcycles would not vacate the lane closest to my marked patrol car. I deployed my pepper spray into the lane closest to me, at which point approaching motorcycles began to vacate the lane, allowing me to conduct a traffic stop.”

From the Pandora’s Box of bad ideas comes a video of a Fort Worth police officer pepper spraying motorcyclists. In what alternate universe is it a good idea to blind a person operating a motorcycle? What could possibly be his reason for stepping out of his cruiser and spraying a toxic substance into the path of what appears to be a group of law-abiding bikers? Hopefully, East Texas Heat Productions has submitted this video as evidence for getting this A-hole police officer stripped of his badge, gun and authority. On the bright side, at least no one got shot.