Houston Cops Brutally Beat Disabled Man, Tased Him Multiple Times, Dragged Him Across Neighbor’s Yard During Traffic Stop, Lawsuit Alleges

A Texas man is taking six police officers to court, alleging that they brutally beat him, dragged him, and stunned him with a Taser multiple times during a traffic stop as he was returning home from a quick stop at the convenience store with his nephew, a civil rights complaint states.

Terrance Holland, 47, filed the federal lawsuit against Houston police officers Antonio Jose Otero, Aaron Parr, Lucia Gracia, R. Hernandez, Julian M. Montemayor, and John C. Fisher, alleging the cops used excessive force during a traffic stop on Dec. 19, 2019.

Holland’s filing to the court explains his narrative about how his traffic stop went very wrong:

Otero was the cop who initiated the stop on Holland and his nephew at 11 p.m. that night, just one block from Holland’s home.

Out of worry for his and his nephew’s safety, Holland called his then-girlfriend, Lisa Reyes, to come to their location to witness the interaction with police officers, according to the suit. Holland suffers from multiple disabilities including PTSD, hearing impairments, and traumatic brain injury and his nephew is also disabled and legally blind.

During the traffic stop, Otero told Holland he was under arrest due to an issue with his license and registration. Holland was ordered to step out of his car and told Otero he was unarmed before the officer conducted a brief patdown to confirm he had no weapons on him.

Holland then asked Otero if he could speak with a police supervisor to clear up any potential license or registration issues, but Otero refused the request, alleging that Holland could not call for a supervisor during his detainment, according to the suit.

Otero tried to take Holland into custody, but Holland pulled away, asserting that he hadn’t done anything wrong.

At that point, Otero called for backup, and when more officers arrive at the scene, Holland keeps his hands in the air to show that he posed no threat.

Officers Garcia and Parr then walked over to Holland who tried to speak with them, but the complaint states that they grabbed him, kicked him, and pulled him to the ground without warning, even though Holland wasn’t combative or resistant.

Parr also tased Holland in drive-stun mode, which means the Taser is pressed directly against the skin rather than shooting probes from a distance. Otero then jumped on Holland, struck him in the head with his knee, and struck him with his elbow, the filing alleges.

“Defendants repeatedly hit, kicked, and punched Mr. Holland, using their hands, fists, elbows, and knees to strike him. They did so despite Mr. Holland’s lack of resistance to their
assault, and despite the fact he was crying out in pain,” the suit stated.

Parr also allegedly tased Holland again in the back before the officers dragged Holland through a neighbor’s lawn.

Distressed by the brutality taking place, Reyes — who had been recording the incident with her cellphone — kept desperately shouting at the officers, pleading, “Don’t tase him! You’re hurting him! “You’re trying to kill him!”

The complaint states that the officers ignored her pleas and continued to use the Taser on Holland for about a minute after the first shock.

“This was a violation of HPD policy, which prohibits the use of a taser on a person who is not resisting or who is exhibiting, at most, only passive resistance, as was true of Mr. Holland,” the lawsuit states.

When Officers Montemayor and Hernandez finally arrived at the scene, they did nothing to stop the violent encounter, according to the suit.

Hernandez requested Reyes to stop recording, but when she refused, he detained her in the back of his police cruiser. The officers also detained Holland’s nephew, Adrian, who had been sitting in the passenger seat of Holland’s car during the entire encounter.

Holland suffered a split lip, severe bruising, a wounded rib cage, and ruptured stitches in his left ear, injuries that were treated at a local hospital before he was jailed.

The suit also alleges that the officers falsified their reports about the incident, claiming that Holland assaulted Otero first. Otero reportedly claimed he suffered a “minor” scrape to his elbow and a “possible” strained pectoral muscle, but later claimed those injuries could have happened when he struck Holland in the face with his elbow and scraped his skin against Holland’s teeth.

Sergeant Fisher, another named defendant, then reviewed and approved the reports.

Although Holland was never cited for any traffic violations, Otero pressed charges against him which were later dismissed.

Holland’s suit charges the officers with violations of his 14th Amendment rights, alleging they failed to intervene as Holland was being battered and fabricated their police reports about the incident. He also claimed that the officers violated multiple Houston Police Department policies.

The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages for “physical pain and suffering; fear, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life; lasting physical and emotional impairments; and material costs.”

Holland highlighted that his experience reflects a disturbing trend in the Houston area where Black drivers are disproportionately pulled over for traffic stops.

A study analyzing 2022 traffic stop data from the Houston Police Department revealed that out of 81,026 who were pulled over that year, Houston’s Black drivers accounted for nearly 42 percent of those stops even though they only make up about 23 percent of the city’s population.

“This can happen to anybody else,” Holland told the Houston Landing in a statement through his lawyer, Shirley LaVarco. “I lived to say this. I could have died that day with them attacking me like that.”