Fort Worth activist injured and arrested while filming police

A Fort Worth-based activist was injured while being arrested and filming several Fort Worth police officers early Sunday morning. The department said it is investigating the incident.

According to Fort Worth police, officers responded around 3:30 p.m. Sunday to a hit-and-run in the 1000 block of Foch Street. The incident involved a suspected drunk driver who crashed into a vehicle and structure before fleeing on foot, police said in a news release.

While officers were investigating, a woman identified as Carolyn Rodriguez approached and was told to cross the street, police said. When she refused, officers used force to arrest her and police said she was injured during the incident. Rodriguez was taken to a local hospital before being booked into custody.

Rodriguez, known online as CFW Carolina, has about 88,000 subscribers on YouTube and regularly posts “police surveillance” videos, in which she records police officers in case they violate people's rights. Rodriguez was live streaming at the time of her arrest and was charged with interference with public duties, resisting arrest, evading arrest and making a false alarm or report, all misdemeanors.

In the video, which has 76,000 views as of Tuesday, Rodriguez stands on a sidewalk as she films officers investigating the crash and comments on the situation. About three minutes in, she walks toward the officers. She begins questioning the officers and a tow truck driver, asking why they are towing a vehicle into a parking lot that Rodriguez said is private land with no towing warning signs.

It is unclear from the video whether the car police were towing was involved in the accident. In a video posted Tuesday, Rodriguez said she thought officers were towing all the cars in the lot after she heard someone yelling at police that they had paid to park in the lot.

Rodriguez then finds a sign saying there is a charge for parking and asks the officers how they know if the car owner has paid or not. She walks towards two police officers and continues to question them when a third police officer approaches and asks her to cross to the other side of the street.

Rodriguez refuses at first.

“You can go to the other side of the street, otherwise you will get arrested,” the police officer then said. “I won’t warn you anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” Rodriguez said. “Why, tell me why first.”

One of the officers tells Rodriguez that they are investigating, while the other officer informs Rodriguez that she is under arrest and tells her to put her hands behind her back.

The officer tells Rodriguez to stop resisting as she drops the camera and the screen goes black. Audio can be heard afterward as the officer again tells him to stop resisting, and another person can be heard saying Rodriguez is bleeding.

About 10 seconds passed between the officer telling Rodriguez to go across the street and the officer telling her she was under arrest.

In Rodriguez's video from Tuesday, she can be seen with a black eye, a bloody nose and cuts around her eyes and mouth. Rodriguez said in the video that she suffered a concussion and a dislocated shoulder and elbow during the incident, and had to have stitches in her mouth and near her eye .

In a statement, Fort Worth City Council member Chris Nettles called the incident “alarming.” He said Rodriguez was thrown to the ground during her arrest and was knocked unconscious by the officer.

Nettles said he is calling on Fort Worth police to immediately release body camera footage of the incident. He said he plans to call an executive session next week with Fort Worth police command to better understand what happened.

In the release, Fort Worth police said the department is investigating the incident.

“We are committed to accountability and transparency in all our operations and will ensure that this investigation is thorough and impartial,” the statement said.

Rodriguez and his attorney did not immediately respond to phone and email messages Tuesday seeking comment.