Incident Involving Constable Deputy in Houston
The actions of a constable deputy in Harris County Precinct One in Houston, Texas, have come under fire this week. The deputy approached 20-year-old African American Marlin Gipson, who was mowing lawns in his neighborhood, as part of his business. When questioned, Gipson explained that he was mowing lawns and putting business cards on residents’ doors. The police officer said there have been recent robberies in the neighborhood, and he was conducting an investigation. Gipson has accused the deputy of racially profiling him. The entire incident involved Gipson allegedly evading arrest and allegedly being severely bitten by a police dog in his home. In addition, two of his brothers were arrested and his sister, age 13, was handcuffed. Part of the interaction between Gipson and the deputy were recorded on video and posted on social media.
The interaction between the deputy and Gipson took a turn when Gipson was asked for his identification. He said he didn’t have any and then allegedly gave a fake name. Gipson asked the deputy for his name and information, and at that point the officer pulled out his handcuffs. Gipson fled the scene and the deputy called for backup.
Another deputy for Precinct One saw the suspect near an address a witness had provided to the police. The homeowner allowed deputies to enter, and Gipson was discovered hiding in a closet. He allegedly refused to exit the closet. At that time, deputies allegedly subdued him with both a K-9 unit and a Taser. Gipson was arrested on charges of evading arrest and failing to identify himself.
Records show that it was determined when Gipson was fingerprinted at the Harris County Jail that there was a warrant out for his arrest allegedly in association with a 2015 assault case as well as two cases of resisting arrest in April 2017, which are still pending.
A great deal of social media attention has already been given to this incident. Photos that claim to be pictures of the dog bites Gipson suffered due to the K-9 attack are posted, and there is some fundraising to support him as he returns to college classes and his business.
It is being claimed by some on social media that police won’t even leave members of the black community alone when they are busy doing “something productive.”
Constable Allen Rosen of Precinct One spoke on the incident, alleging that Gipson’s claims are false.
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