Newly obtained video shows Sgt. Roger Rudloff shoving his knee into another protester’s stomach moments after the shooting last year.
By Miles Moffeit and Cassandra Jaramillo
Dallas County prosecutors will ask a grand jury Friday to consider indicting a Dallas police sergeant who was photographed as he blasted pepper balls into the chest of a George Floyd protester last year.
And police body camera footage newly obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows that Sgt. Roger Rudloff shoved his knee into the stomach of another protester who tried to intervene during the shooting.
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot’s move to take the pepper-ball case to a grand jury follows a News investigation in September that disclosed police had secretly cleared Rudloff in March of any criminal wrongdoing in the incident. However, experts who reviewed images and witness statements for The News said enough evidence existed to pursue criminal charges.
The News’ investigation also uncovered 18 allegations of abuse against Rudloff during his 26-year career with the department, including flashlight beatings, chokings and racial slurs. Black people and Latinos lodged most of the complaints against Rudloff, who is white.
The pepper-ball incident was one of the most visible instances of police aggression in Dallas against demonstrators last year. For protesters and civil rights activists, the effort to send the case to a grand jury represents a much-awaited move toward accountability.
Dozens of protesters said they were mistreated by officers, and civil rights activists have criticized the police’s decision not to pursue prosecution of Rudloff as a troubling sign they cannot police themselves. Creuzot has been criticized for the slow pace of his own inquiry, having announced more than a year ago that his staff would investigate abuse of protesters and emphasized that all agencies needed to move swiftly.
Creuzot declined Thursday to comment on the grand jury case, citing confidentiality rules for such closed-door proceedings. It’s unclear what specific charges jurors will weigh. Experts said the evidence points to a potential assault or official oppression offense.
Creuzot’s prosecutors plan to call Jantzen Verastique, the woman Rudloff shot, and her friend Dondi Morse, who was at the scene, to testify Friday, according to an email from prosecutors obtained by The News.
Messina Madson, a former top Dallas County prosecutor, said Creuzot’s move to put witnesses on the stand is encouraging.
“Typically in a grand jury, it’s just the investigator reading a report and it takes only a few minutes,’’ Madson said. “Bringing in witnesses is unusual.’’
The decision lines up with policies created by former Dallas County DA Susan Hawk to ensure that grand juries hear evidence from witnesses other than police, she said.
Verastique and Morse said they were shocked when they saw Rudloff and other officers swarm dark-skinned protesters along an Interstate 35E access road at dusk in May 2020. Verastique shouted at Rudloff to stop before he turned his pepper-ball gun on her. He stood only a few feet away.
Rudloff told The News last year that he shot Verastique because she did not follow his instructions. He did not elaborate and has repeatedly refused to comment since. His lawyer, Robert Rogers, recently said the allegations against his client over the years are baseless. Rudloff’s awards and commendations — more than 120 — prove he has been an exceptional officer, Rogers said.
Rudloff’s lawyer declined to comment on the grand jury proceedings. “Those matters are confidential,’’ he said. “Roger didn’t do anything wrong — that’s the true story.’’
After The News published a photo of the shooting in August last year, Rudloff was removed to a job that limits his contact with the public. Police said he is now working at the city jail but did not describe the nature of his work.
After Rudloff fired into Verastique’s breast, he arrested her, the photographer, Morse and other demonstrators at the scene. Police later dropped those cases.
The photographer also snapped images of Rudloff grabbing protester Parker Nevills by his ponytail and helping other officers tackle him. Nevills, who saw Rudloff fire at Verastique, had sprinted toward Rudloff, shouting at him.
The News only recently obtained body camera video documenting the moments between Rudloff’s shooting of Verastique and his takedown of Nevills, who was unarmed.
The police released footage of the initial encounter in response to an open-records request from The News.
The video shows Rudloff and another officer flanking Nevills after he runs to the scene. They order him to get on the ground. Nevills keeps his hands at his side and asks Rudloff a question, but his words are not clear on the recording.
“You’re under arrest for disorderly conduct,” Rudloff says.
“For what disorderly conduct?’’ Nevills asks
As Rudloff turns toward the ground to pick up his pepper-ball gun, Nevills puts his hands behind his back, apparently to be handcuffed.
Two seconds later, Rudloff swings a knee into Nevills’ stomach.
Nevills winces and is forced to the ground.
In a statement to investigators, Rudloff said he feared that Nevills “would develop a plan to attack officers’’ or push him onto the ramp of the freeway.
Police investigators found that Rudloff did not submit a required report documenting the blow to Nevills. They said Rudloff failed to be “courteous and civil’’ in remarks he made to Nevills.
Investigators said the force Rudloff used was appropriate. He followed the department’s step-by-step guidelines for assessing how much force should be used on someone who may pose a threat.
But Madson, the former prosecutor who reviewed the video at the request of The News, sees it differently. Rudloff appeared not to notice that Nevills was putting his arms behind his back before Rudloff kneed him, she said.
Instead, Rudloff diverted his eyes to his pepper-ball gun on the ground, she said.
“It’s unequivocal, without a doubt, Nevills was putting his arms behind his back,’’ Madson said, adding that Nevills was becoming compliant. “Rudloff’s behavior is not consistent with him assessing the situation.’’
Madson said she hopes the grand jury sees the video. It’s unclear whether Creuzot’s office will present it. Police officials told The News they shared the footage with the DA last year.
“It’s the perfect case to illustrate the power of body cam,’’ Madson said.
Nevills told The News the video was painful for him to watch. He said he tightened his stomach just before he was kneed but it still knocked the wind out of him.
Even more painful, he said, was reading the internal affairs report exonerating Rudloff of using excessive force.
“It made it sound like I was charging him for no reason,’’ Nevills said. “I didn’t see any mention of him shooting Jantzen anywhere in the report. Context is everything. I was concerned about her.’’
