Tyler police release body cam footage of controversial arrest

Published 9:58 pm Wednesday, May 14, 2025

A portion of body camera footage has been released after a woman resisting arrest fired the gun of a Tyler police officer who responded by hitting her in the face.

The incident has drawn controversy on social media, as some stand by the department’s response while others argue excessive force was used. The footage, released Tuesday by the Tyler Police Department, shows Brianna Erwin resisting arrest and grabbing an officer’s gun and firing it while in the officer’s holster. Another point of view of the arrest, recorded by a witness and posted to social media, shows the officer punching Erwin as a response to her use of his gun.

The incident occurred shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday when police responded to a theft at Dollar General on Gentry Parkway in Tyler. Two suspects were located; one compiled and was detained, while the other suspect, identified as Erwin, tried to walk away and kept going after being ordered to stop, according to the police department.

The department says a “struggle” came next, and the male officer — whose name has not been released — called for backup. A clip of the footage shows the officer on top of Erwin, who continued to resist, repeating “get him off me.”

The officer asks Erwin to “sit up, you’re going in cuffs,” according to the footage.

“Erwin continuously thrashed about, twisting her body, biting and pulling her arms away from officers,” an arrest warrant affidavit stated. In the witness video, two officers can be seen trying to cuff Erwin.

The body camera footage released by the department shows a close-up view of Erwin’s hand on the officer’s gun in his holster. The officer responded for Erwin to “let go of my gun” as he tried to grab her arms to cuff her.

The department said Erwin grabbed the officer’s gun and fired it. The gun is seen in the officer’s holster and the shot can be heard in the footage.

The partial footage publicly released ends there, but the department says the officer then “quickly utilized a closed-hand strike,” or a punch, to “prevent further escalation and the use of deadly force.” This is also seen in the witness footage circulating on social media.

Erwin was taken into custody shortly afterwards. Her mugshot shows one of her eyes swollen and bruised.

While Erwin was being detained, police say she “claimed she was pregnant,” which can be heard in the witness-recorded footage. Erwin was medically evaluated at the jail after she was arrested, the department said. Lisa Williams, president of the NAACP Tyler branch, said she visited Erwin who told her the pregnancy test was negative.

Erwin was booked into the Smith County Jail on an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated assault on a public servant, possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest, evading arrest/detention, and harassment of a public servant.

Williams said Tyler’s NAACP chapter is “deeply outraged” by the footage that shows Erwin being “violently beaten by law enforcement.”

“This excessive force is unacceptable and demands immediate accountability,” Williams said.

NAACP Tyler is requesting full access to all body camera footage from the incident, in addition to a detailed incident report. The organization also wants to know what disciplinary actions have been taken against the involved officers.

“We stand with the victim and demand justice, transparency, and action from our city leaders,” Williams said Tuesday in a statement provided to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

The Tyler chapter of the NAACP advocates for “equal political, educational, social, and economic rights of all persons & to eliminate race-based discrimination,” according to its website.

The Tyler Patrolman’s Association (TPA) said when a suspect grabs an officer’s gun, it is an “extremely dangerous act” — one that could’ve “ended in tragedy.”

The TPA posted the witness video to its Facebook page. That video was also posted to many community Facebook groups, where people commented mixed views about how officers handled the incident before seeing the body camera footage from the officer’s point of view. Many formed opinions about the officer’s reactive response to hit Erwin, but the patrolman’s association asks the public to “remain calm and avoid rushing to judgment as the investigation runs its course.”

The association reminds people disobeying lawful commands and resisting arrest puts lives at risk.

“Compliance protects everyone and preserves a suspect’s right to bring challenges through legal means — not violence,” TPA said in its statement.

Ultimately, TPA said it stands by the officers’ response to the situation.

“Our officers showed incredible restraint in a life-threatening moment,” TPA President Tyler Pride said. “They responded with professionalism and control when greater force was likely justified.”

The Tyler Police Department said it is “committed to transparency” and will provide updates as the investigation progresses. It remains ongoing at this time.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph filed a public information request to receive full body camera footage from any officers who responded to the incident. The Tyler Police Department promptly responded and supplied an incident report and the arrest report. However, the department said it cannot release any body camera footage.

“According to the Texas Public Information Act we can assert an exception to disclosure. We assert 552.108 (a)(1) of the Texas Government Code that states release of the information would interfere with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of a crime,” the department said. “This is an open case to be prosecuted through the district attorney’s office.”