Witness: Cops were 'ludicrous' with Benson
'It seemed to me they were manhandling him,' Patch says of Bear's arrest
 Jeff Roberson / AP | Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson was arrested twice during his time at the Unversity of Texas. He was arrested for marijuana possession in May 2002 in his hometown of Midland. |
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AUSTIN, Texas - Two witnesses are questioning police action in the recent arrest of former Longhorn football standout Cedric Benson.
Benson was arrested on Lake Travis Saturday after his boat was pulled over for a safety inspection.
"It was uncalled for, it was ludicrous, no point for it," said Toby Patch.
Patch said what he saw at the Emerald Point Marina Saturday makes him distrust law enforcement.
"It seemed to me they were manhandling him a little bit," Patch said. "As they were taking him up the dock, they stopped, he said, ‘I am fine, I can continue walking,' and they put their legs behind his knees and knocked him over his knees and started hog-carrying him."
Then he said when the officers got Benson to the parking area, things really got out of hand.
"They ended up -- I don't know why -- but laid him on his back, I heard him say, 'Please don't pepper spray me, please don't pepper spray me,'" Patch said.
Elizabeth Cartwright, one of Benson's friends, told KXAN's sister station WMAQ in Chicago that she was on Benson's boat when he was taken onto the Lower Colorado River Authority's boat.
She also said she thinks authorities were out of line.
"You could hear in his voice pain, like I thought he was crying, I thought he was getting beaten up," Cartwright said.
Cartwright said LCRA officers have targeted Benson before.
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Meanwhile, LCRA spokeswoman Krista Umscheid said the agency's officers followed protocol.
"He followed all the procedures as far as putting him on his boat and taking him away on Benson's boat," Umscheid said.
Officers said Benson failed the field sobriety test, refused to go to land for more tests, then refused to leave the officers' boat.
Benson is scheduled to appear in court on May 19.
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