Amanda Jo Stephen dragged away in handcuffs by cops for refusing to ID herself | Mail Online
- Amanda Jo Stephen, 24, charged with failure to identify and traffic signal violation in Austin, Texas
- Eyewitness said Stephen was jogging with headphones on and didn't hear police officer tell her to stop
- Police were in the area giving tickets to pedestrians for crossing street on red light
PUBLISHED: 14:43 EST, 21 February 2014 | UPDATED: 18:29 EST, 21 February 2014
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A female jogger out for a run in Austin, Texas, Thursday was arrested, handcuffed and hauled into a police cruiser screaming and in tears for allegedly failing to identify herself.
The entire incident was caught on video recorded by Chris Quintero, a student at University of Texas who was sitting in a cafe across the street and witnessed the woman being taken into custody.
The arrest took place just before 11am outside a fast-food eatery near the intersection of 24th Street and San Antonio Street in Austin.
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Busted: Amanda Jo Stephen, 24, is seen handcuffed and in tears following Thursday's arrest for a traffic violation in Austin
Caught on camera: Chris Quintero took pictures and video of the jogger's arrest; the college student said the 24-year-old crossed the street without waiting to the light to switch and was ordered to stop by police
Sporting a black crop top, shorts and toe sneakers, 24-year-old Amanda Jo Stephen was running across the street when an officer yelled for her to stop.
According to Quintero, who saw the arrest play out from a nearby Starbucks, the jogger got caught in a police operation targeting jaywalkers, University of Texas' student newspaper The Daily Texan reported.
Since Stephen had her headphones on, she allegedly didn't hear the officer and continued on her way.
The officer quickly caught up with her and grabbed Stephen’s hand from behind, prompting her to push his hand away.
Female student jogger arrested for jaywalking
Desperate pleas: A sobbing Stephen repeatedly told the officers that she did nothing wrong and was simply exercising
Lawbreaker: Austin PD said the woman has been charged with failure to identify herself to police and a class B traffic signal violation
An Austin police spokesperson told MailOnline Friday that Miss Stephen was handcuffed and taken into custody for failing to give her name to police.
In Quintero's 2-minute video, the young woman with blond hair arranged in two braids in seen weeping on the ground with her hands restrained behind her back and two officers towering over her.
At one point, the apprehended jogger notices Quintero taking pictures of her and declares: 'I was doing nothing wrong. I was crossing the street.'
A moment later, a pair of uniformed cops, joined by two more cops on bikes, could be seen placing the sobbing woman into the back of a squad car, with her pleading and shrieking at the top of her lungs.
‘I didn’t do anything wrong! I didn’t do anything wrong! she said repeatedly. ‘I didn’t f***ing do anything wrong! I just crossed the street.’
Since going up on YouTube Thursday, Quintero's video has gone viral, drawing more than 17,000 views, and counting.
Internet hit: Quintero's video showing the four burly man overpowering the slender young jogger has gone viral in a day
The Austin Police Department has denied that the officers seen in the video were specifically targeting jaywalkers, claiming instead that they were working 'pedestrian enforcement' to ensure traffic safety.
The agency spokesperson told MailOnline Miss Stephen has been charged with failure to identify and a class B traffic signal violation.
As of Friday, she was not listed as an inmate in the local jail, suggesting that she has been released on bond.
'Maybe the plus size cops should follow her lead, and go on a jog instead of wasting tax dollars on trivial matters... just a thought,' Quintero wrote in his blog.