Anasia Smith, a 22-year-old who relocated from New York to Houston, is suing Harris County Jail over an alleged violent assault in July 2023.
According to a federal lawsuit, nine officers viciously abused her when she requested to be relieved of her voluntary cleaning chores. Video evidence of the attack has been released, revealing the terrible assault, and Smith is now seeking for justice. This is what occurred.
Inside Texas inmate files lawsuit against officers after brutal altercation
According to the lawsuit, Anasia Smith was fatigued from volunteering to clean the Harris County Jail in Texas approximately 1 a.m. on July 15, 2023. She calmly requested relief, but the situation quickly escalated. Officer Paulita Franco apparently couldn’t take it and began a verbal altercation that swiftly escalated. Franco reportedly began striking Smith in the head shortly after she asked to stop cleaning. To make matters worse, eight additional cops were claimed to have joined in, resulting in a full-fledged attack.
Security footage supplied by the Texas Civil Rights Project to FOX 26 shows Smith, who weighed 107 pounds at the time, attempting to defend herself as officers surround her. They did not stop there, however. Smith was forced to the ground, allegedly beaten over 45 times, dragged over the ground, and had her hair and clothes pulled while curled up in a fetal position. Her lawyer, Molly Petchenik, did not hold back, saying:
“It is difficult to imagine what the goal was…” There’s simply no legitimate explanation for that type of behavior.”
Ben Crumbs Issues Statement Following Smith’s Lawsuit Filing.
On Friday, July 4, attorney Ben Crump sent a tweet on X (previously known as Twitter), writing:
“Anasia Smith requested that she be allowed to quit cleaning while in jail. Instead, nine Harris County officers allegedly beat her over 45 times. This isn’t just excessive force; it’s part of a violent culture that calls for justice and reform at Harris County Jail.
Anasia Smith describes her suffering after the prison attack.
It’s been over two years and Smith is still gathering up the pieces from the attack. According to her claim, she suffers from persistent back pain, migraines, disorientation, and depression. Her entire life has been flipped upside down, and time has not alleviated the agony or suffering.
Smith was initially detained on June 27, 2023, for using a debit card without authorization (charges later dropped). She believes the attack came out of nowhere. Petchenik is not playing, exposing the jail’s “long-standing culture of violence” and hundreds of officer-on-inmate incidents from 2020 to 2023.
The complaint is aimed at the cops, Harris County, and even Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who has been chastised for allowing this alleged culture of violence to continue despite promises of greater training. Smith is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for alleged violations of her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, including excessive force and retaliation.
The Texas Civil Rights Project is supporting Smith’s complaint. They seek accountability for what they describe as a “horrific and life-altering” assault, which is claimed to be one of many. Molly told Houston Public Media that Smith’s case calls for significant improvements at the facility.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Gonzalez has agreed that they need more de-escalation training. However, according to the lawsuit, the violence continues to escalate. In February 2024, another lawsuit alleged that a lady miscarried as a result of an attack by cops in the same facility. Then, in May of that year, three officers were charged with allegedly beating an inmate into a coma.
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