Shocking police body camera footage captured a screaming woman being attacked by fire ants while her face was pressed to the ground during her arrest, a lawsuit alleges.
The painful biting incident occurred in 2021 when the plaintiff, Taylor Rogers, was arrested by the Santa Fe Police Department.
According to the lawsuit, Rogers was driving with his son when an officer began yelling at him to stop. Court documents say Rogers panicked because officers hit her vehicle and pointed their gun at her, and she accidentally went the wrong way.
That’s when Santa Fe Police Sergeant Ruben Espinoza crashed into Rogers’ car, according to the lawsuit. Another officer, Officer Christian Carranza, arrived at the scene and allegedly became aggressive toward Rogers.
At a news conference Saturday, Rogers’ attorney, Randall Kallinen, described what his client says happened at the scene.
A woman who was left covered in insect bites is suing the city of Santa Fe, Texas, after claiming local police handcuffed her and pushed her face down into a bed of fire ants.
The incident occurred in 2021 when the plaintiff, Taylor Rogers (pictured), was arrested by the Santa Fe Police Department.
Pictured: Bug bites covering Rogers’ neck and face, which she claims came from her encounter with police.
“Santa Fe police detained Taylor Rogers for no reason, threw him to the ground in a bed of fire ants in broad daylight, and then held him there while he screamed,” Kallinen said.
Body camera footage shared with local CBS affiliate Khou shows Rogers screaming, pleading for help as ants crawled across her face and began biting her.
‘There are ants on my face, there are ants on my face. Please help,’ Rogers yelled at Caranza. ‘How could you do this? There are ants on my face, please let them go.’
According to court documents, Caranza allegedly twisted Rogers’ legs and tied her up, and she was unable to remove the ants from her face or body. She claimed the officers did not bother to help her remove the ants or move her to a different location.
The aggressive ants bite humans, who approach them and inject them with a poison that causes a burning sensation and gives them their name.
Fire ant bites can even be fatal for people with certain medical conditions. In 2023, Cathy Weed, 43, a mother from Georgia, died from an allergic reaction after stepping on a fire anthill in her home.
‘Is it torture? Yes, it’s a strong word, but I call it torture,” Kallinen said. ‘When the police hold you in an anthill and you say ‘brave ants’ and scream, and they keep you there, what is that?’
To make matters worse, Rogers said the ordeal occurred in front of her 9-year-old son, who was sitting in the back seat of her car.
The police have a different story and defended their actions.
Espinoza said that when he tried to stop Rogers, she became enraged and attempted to make an illegal turn into the parking lot of her son’s school.
She then allegedly ignored him and drove to the back parking lot. That’s when Caranza got involved.
‘When she (the officer) gave the description of the vehicle, I immediately knew who it was. I then approached the intersection and watched Ms. Rogers flee,” Espinoza said. ‘She was also overtaking a vehicle on the grass area on the right hand side when I tried to get in front of her to stop. She didn’t put the car in reverse and ran away from me.
Espinoza later said he used his police car to stop Rogers. Cornered, Rogers was pulled from the car by other Santa Fe officers and handcuffed.
Police shared footage of Rogers’ arrest, noting that there were no fire ants or ant farms in sight.
They also claimed that the body camera footage was misleading and that Rogers was actually treated with “respect and dignity.”
Body camera footage shared with local CBS affiliate KHOU shows Rogers screaming and calling for help as the ants crawled across her face and began biting her.
At a news conference Saturday, Rogers’ attorney Randall Kallinen (pictured) said what happened to his client at the scene was a form of “torture.”
Rogers (pictured) is now suing three years later, asking that the two officers be held accountable and that the Santa Fe Police Department receive proper training to de-escalate tensions.
‘They stopped the clip they provided you. The officer tells him, ‘Calm down and we’ll get you up,’ Espinoza said. “At that point, she said, ‘Okay, I’ll calm down,’ and they picked her up immediately.”
Espinoza said Rogers pleaded guilty to fleeing police, while Kallinen said she was sentenced to deferred adjudication.
Rogers is now suing, asking that the two officers be held accountable and that the Santa Fe Police Department receive proper training to de-escalate tensions.