A witness to this past weekend's arrest of actors Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright said a cell phone recorded part of the melee, which eventually involved the actors, five crew members, a dozen police officers, a police dog and a crowd of onlookers.
The witness, who spoke on condition his name not be used, said another person at the bar has given the cell phone video to a lawyer for the actors. He said a racial slur was aimed at Wright, who is black.
Police have videos from patrol cars and audio from microphones officers were wearing. The city this week complied with a public records request from KTBS news and released the initial police report but would not release supplemental use-of-force reports or the audio- and videotapes.
Police Chief Henry Whitehorn said he is reviewing the case and it will be submitted to the city prosecutor's office for review. Whitehorn said he has not found anything out of the ordinary in the way officers handled the incident. He did not disclose specifics about the videos and audio recordings.
That cell phone recording could be part of the evidence if the case goes to trial.
The city attorney said her office intends to prosecute the actors and members of their party for interfering with officers, although they have not reviewed the entire case and made a final decision.
The incident happened over the weekend at StrayCat bar on Travis Street downtown. Police were called there by a bar employee who wanted a rowdy patron removed.
When it was over, the actors and five crew members had been arrested. A taser had been used on Wright and he and Brolin were hit with pepper spray when they wouldn't quit holding onto each other, police said.
The initial offense report contained few details about the incident. It said crew member Eric Felland had been asked to leave but refused. Police said he was "physically escorted out."
The police report said one officer wound up on the ground while trying to arrest a second person. The man, who was not identified, was eventually handcuffed.
City prosecutors have set the case for trial in December. That is a routine procedure. They still have to review the case before a final decision on prosecution is made.
The cell phone recording is in the hands of a lawyer in California.
Friends of the actors said Mayor Cedric Glover met with Wright over the weekend, but they've not heard from the mayor since. Glover was unavailable for comment today.
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