Key Takeaways
- BenDaDonnn, real name Benius Beard, spent nearly three hours on a livestream detailing his October 4 arrest outside The Spot bar near Texas A&M campus.
- Beard says he was racially profiled by a bike cop who picked him out of the crowd and tased him twice, leaving him bleeding.
- College Station police say officers deployed a less lethal tool after a group refused commands, and Beard faces an evading arrest charge on a $7,000 bond.
- Beard says he has lawyers involved and plans to sue the police department, though no lawsuit had been filed as of NDTV's October 6 report.
BenDaDonnn is speaking out about his recent arrest in College Station, Texas, claiming he was racially profiled and wrongfully detained by police.
During a recent livestream, the streamer, whose real name is Benius Beard, gave his version of the encounter that ended with him being tased and arrested early Sunday (Oct. 4) near Texas A&M's campus.
"What I do want to say is I do believe that I was racially profiled," Beard said. "I'm not here to like make this into no crazy thing, but obviously I do think I was racially profiled."
Beard claimed one officer singled him out during the incident and he is exploring legal options.
"He zoned in, he picked and he was like, 'I'mma get your ass, brother,'" Beard said. "So, we do got legal shit going on. We on it 1,000%. I was wrongfully accused. I was wrongfully detained."
The 34-year-old questioned why officers attempted to detain him in the first place, arguing that he had already complied with instructions to move onto the sidewalk.
"What am I being detained for?" he asked. "Because the only order was to get on the sidewalk. I've been on the sidewalk since the first command. Since the first one."
Beard added that he challenged officers over how they were handling people at the scene but denied doing anything that warranted his detention.
"I ain't pop shit or nothing. I just told you stop putting your hands on people," he said. "You don't got to put your hands on people to tell them what to do. Give them a command."
College Station police have offered a different account. Authorities said officers were clearing people from the roadway outside a bar in the Northgate district when they encountered a group that allegedly refused to comply with commands. Police allege Beard attempted to get away as officers moved to detain him, prompting an officer to deploy what the department described as a "less-lethal tool."
Beard was booked into the Brazos County jail on a charge of evading arrest or detention, with bond set at $7,000.
Police also arrested 29-year-old Kenny Carter, who authorities said identified himself as Beard's security guard. Carter was charged with interference with public duties after allegedly interfering as officers attempted to detain Beard.
The incident happened only hours after Beard appeared on the Texas A&M sideline during the Aggies' game against Arkansas. The school's football account even highlighted his visit, writing, "Aggie Football is @BenDaDonnn and @nicknayersina approved."
Beard's evading arrest or detention case remains pending.
