On Dec. 18, 2018, when Neco Bonham left home, he told his mom he was stepping out. He said he’d be back in 10 minutes, but he wouldn t make it home until seven days later. During that time, he was getting roughed up by Richardson police officers and jailers, in their custody after a traffic stop went wrong.
It had been a normal day for the then 18-year-old Bonham. After he got out of school at Memorial Pathway Academy in Garland, he went to the restaurant where he worked and served tables. When Bonham got home from work, his friend Jordan came over. Jordan s girlfriend was going to pick him up later, so he wanted to leave his Ford Ranger at Bonham’s house.
Black motorist says in federal suit that Richardson officer brutalized him due to race
Neco Bonham, 20, says the officer escalated a routine traffic stop even though he was polite and merely wanted to know why he was being ordered out of his truck.
Neco Bonham, 18, poses for a photo at the law office of Damon Mathias in Dallas on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. Bonham is suing Richardson police in federal court for racial profiling and excessive force.(Juan Figueroa)
It seemed like a routine traffic stop, so Neco Bonham asked the officer why he wanted him out of the pickup truck.
Instead of an answer, the 18-year-old received an electric jolt from a Taser, punches to the head and handcuffs during the December 2018 incident, court records show.
It started routinely enough, according to videos obtained by NBC 5 through the Texas open records law. Hey, how you doing? Do you have a driver s license and insurance with you? the officer asked as he approached the driver’s window.
“No sir, Bonham responded.
He continued to cooperate and gave the officer his name and date of birth.
Then, the officer requested that he get out of the pickup. Do me a favor. Hop out for me real quick,” Winn said.
Bonham unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door but then stopped.
“May I ask why?” Bonham asked.
Bonham later explained he felt scared.