By Mitch Borden
Tye Anders has been formally charged with a felony a month after being pulled over for allegedly running a stop sign. A Midland grand jury indicted Anders on Friday for evading arrest with a motor vehicle, a third-degree felony.
If convicted, the 21-year-old could face anywhere from two to ten years behind bars, according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram.
Anders’ case has received national attention after a cell phone video of his arrest emerged on social media. The footage raised questions concerning Midland PD’s use of force and racial profiling.
On May 16th, Anders was driving to his grandmother’s home when he was pulled over by Officer Michael Rosero. Justin Moore, Anders’ attorney, claims that Rosero followed the car for about a half an hour before the officer said he saw Anders roll through a stop sign. There is no evidence of the traffic violation other than Rosero’s claim.
The dashcam footage released by the Midland Police Department shows Rosero pursuing Anders and activating his police cruiser’s lights to pull him over. Anders does not stop right away, and instead drives to his grandmother’s home and parks in the driveway. Fewer than 30 seconds pass from when the officer first flashes his lights to Anders’ parking. In Anders’ arrest affidavit, Rosero alleges Anders “began evading by slowly increasing his speed in an attempt to flee me.”
Across the country, people have taken interest in Anders' case in light of increased scrutiny on the police killings of Black people.
The Dallas-based social justice group Next Generation Action Network is organizing a demonstration in Midland on Saturday to protest the treatment of Anders.
