In a social media post, Allen West attached a letter that he received from George Milner, a Dallas defense attorney, informing him that Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot had “thoroughly reviewed all evidence” in the case and declined to pursue charges against Angela West.
“The District Attorney also reviewed the toxicology report which proved there was NO ALCOHOL in her blood, as well as NO DRUGS of any kind in her system,” Milner wrote emphatically, adding that “It is now indisputable Ms. West was completely innocent of any wrongdoing!”
Allen West — who has called for the firing of the arresting officer, Lydia Harris — took the opportunity to double down on his demand for an apology from Garcia.
“I stand by my assertion that a full apology to my wife Angela is warranted. As well, the full unedited body cam video should be released by the [DPD] [Garcia] to the press and the public,” West tweeted. “My wife’s honor and reputation should have never been assailed.”
In a video he produced Sunday, August 22, two days after the incident, Allen West had given Harris’ name and badge number and called for her to be fired, accusing the officer of “Gestapo-like tactics.”
He made a number of demands, including that all charges be dropped and that Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, Garcia, and Cruezot make an appearance at his home by the end of the following Tuesday to apologize to Angela West and their 3-month-old grandson, Jaxton, who was in the car when she was stopped.
“Now, I want to see these things happen. If they don’t happen, I will end up becoming your worst nightmare, because I will defend the honor of my wife and my family,” West said.
In a press conference on Monday, August 23, Garcia defended Harris and indicated that the results of the toxicology test would not change his contention that she had probable cause to apprehend Angela West.
“When we’re wrong, we’re wrong, and we will hold ourselves accountable, but no police chief can sit idly by while his officers get falsely vilified,” said Garcia, who was formerly the police chief of San Jose, California.
“False representations about my officers cannot go unchecked. They work too hard and they sacrifice too much.”
According to Garcia, on Friday, August 20, Harris pulled over Angela West as she was driving westbound with Jaxton in the 2300th block of W. Northwest Highway in a white Mercedes Benz SUV.
DPD released body camera and dash camera footage of part of the incident, which showed Harris asking another officer to “keep an eye” on Jaxton while Harris administered a field sobriety test.
The police chief said that Angela West had failed to signal when changing lanes and had been driving on the shoulder of the highway, as seen in the video. He emphasized that she had stopped in the center lane of the road when Harris initiated the traffic stop.
After the field sobriety test, the footage shows the officer taking Angela West into custody for suspected driving while intoxicated. In Texas, driving while intoxicated with a passenger younger than 15 years of age is a state jail felony.
Garcia indicated that a breathalyzer Harris administered to Angela West had been inconclusive “because the test wasn’t done properly.” The police chief asserted that the video showed Angela West had been “driving erratically” and the “totality of the circumstances” justified the arrest.
“I’m not used to getting tickets. I’m not used to skirmishes. I did not know what to do,” Angela West later said in an interview with local media.
Speaking to why she might have struggled with the field sobriety test, she remarked, “I have had an aneurysm […] so I’m a little off balance sometimes.”
As Harris was arresting Angela West, officers can be heard in the video asking her who could pick up Jaxton to avoid placing him in the custody of Child Protective Services.
Garcia stood by Harris’ handling of Jaxton and the situation in general, saying she had been “professional” and “courteous.”
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
