After noticing some continuity errors in the newly released Sandra Bland arrest video, many online are voicing concerns that the clip may have been edited. The complaints come as a Texas district attorney announced Monday that the case of the woman who was found dead in her jail cell will be treated as a murder investigation.
A 52-minute dashcam video of the Bland traffic stop, which was released by the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday, was questioned first by writer Ben Norton, who pointed out that parts of the video appear to loop, or repeat. Movie director Ava DuVernay soon joined in the criticism.
"Similar edits and loops are made throughout the video," Norton charged on his blog. "It appears that someone cut footage out and looped part of the video in order to correspond with the recorded audio of Texas state trooper Brian Encinia speaking. Who exactly edited the footage is unknown, but the video was recorded by police and released by the Texas Department of Public Safety."
Bland was arrested during a traffic stop on July 10 and was found hanging in her
cell three days later, according to NBC News. Authorities initially said that Bland had committed suicide, but her family and supporters have raised questions about the death.
Bland was reportedly trying to raise enough money for her $5,000 bail bond from family members when she was found dead on July 13, NBC News noted.
Waller County district attorney Elton Mathis told reporters on Monday that prosecutors would examine Bland's case as "a murder investigation," stating that it was too early to come to a conclusion about what happened.
One part of the video that critics have pointed out was a part where a tow truck driver can be seen walking toward Encinia's vehicle and then out of the frame. Fifteen seconds later, the same driver reappears and repeats his walk as Encinia continues speaking uninterrupted.
"I will have to check in the morning," Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger told NBC News when questioned about whether the video was edited. "I can't speculate without looking at the CD."
Here is the full arrest video:
And here are two clips that are clearly looping:
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