USA07 October, 20262 min read
College Station Police Tased BenDaDonnn After Texas A&M vs. Arkansas, Beard Claims Racial Profiling
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
BenDaDonnn was tased twice and arrested outside The Spot near Northgate after the A&M-Arkansas game. Police say crowd refused commands; Beard was charged with evading arrest.
Arrest After A&M Game
College Station Police arrested Benjamin Beard, known online as BenDaDonnn, outside The Spot on Northgate after officers tried to clear a roadway following the Texas A&M vs. Arkansas football game.
College Station police said officers encountered a group that “refused to comply” with commands, and police said one person slapped an officer’s hand away when the officer tried to move him from the roadway.
College Station police said a less-lethal tool was used on Beard as he attempted to get away, and police said Beard was later charged with evading arrest or detention and released after posting a $7,000 bond.
Kenny Carter, Beard’s security guard, was charged with interference with public duties after police said Carter interfered when officers tried to detain the first suspect, and police said both men were released on bond.
Beard said he believes race played a role in how the officer treated him, and he told viewers, “What I do want to say is, I do believe that I was racially profiled, and I'm not here to make this into a crazy thing, but obviously I do think I was racially profiled.”
Two Accounts, One Charge
Beard said he was on the sidewalk since the first command and questioned why officers attempted to detain him, asking, “What am I being detained for?”
College Station police offered a different account, saying officers deployed what the department described as a “less-lethal tool” after a group refused commands and Beard attempted to get away.
Beard said he challenged officers over how they were handling people at the scene and denied doing anything that warranted his detention, telling viewers, “I ain't pop shit or nothing. I just told you stop putting your hands on people.”
KBTX said Beard spent about 14 hours in confinement and quoted him saying, “We got legal involved, and we’re gonna sue the drawers off their butt a**.”
Bond, Taser, and Next Steps
Hoodline said College Station police took Beard into custody around 1:20 a.m. as officers tried to clear a crowd from the roadway outside The Spot on Northgate, and Hoodline said Beard was struck with a Taser.
Hoodline said jail records showed Beard was held on a $7,000 bond for evading arrest or detention, while Carter’s bond was set at $4,000 for interference with public duties.
Beard told viewers he intends to sue the College Station Police Department, and he said, “So we do got legal s*** going on. We own it 1,000%.”
KBTX reported that the City of College Station said the incident “remains under investigation and review,” and KBTX said no lawsuit had been filed as of NDTV Sports’ October 6 report.