DALLAS, TEXAS: A probe is underway involving four Dallas police officers who were captured in a body cam video exchange, during which they were heard laughing at the expense of a disabled military veteran.
The veteran, who had a distressing incident wherein he involuntarily urinated on himself due to being denied access to a restaurant bathroom, has prompted an investigation.
Who is Dynell Lane?
Dynell Lane is a US Army veteran who recounted the episode to the oversight board of the Dallas Police Department.
He served as an army sergeant during deployments in Afghanistan and Kuwait, where he sustained injuries that necessitated multiple surgical interventions on his lower body.
He explained that during the early hours of June 10, around 2:15 am, he was at Serious Pizza, where two off-duty police officers who were on security duty, declined his request to use the restroom.
Did Dynell Lane have a medical condition?
According to The Dallas Morning News, Lane had pertinent medical papers documenting his medical condition arising from surgeries. He made attempts to demonstrate his need for immediate access. Despite his efforts, he was unsuccessful in persuading the officers.
Lane dialed 911 in hopes of assistance. However, the responders were not able to arrive in time, leading to the unfortunate situation where Lane wet himself.
Lane told oversight members at their monthly August meeting. “The Dallas Police Department failed me. Two Dallas police officers discriminated against me and declined to assist me in bridging the gap between myself and the Serious Pizza manager".
Was Serious Pizza aware of Dynell Lane’s situation?
The parent company of Serious Pizza, Milkshake Concepts, has communicated through an official statement that they are fully “aware of the unfortunate incident” involving the off-duty police officers and a patron.
As The Dallas Morning News reported, the statement fell short of addressing various questions, such as the reasons for denying Lane access and the established protocols in place for effectively assisting customers with disabilities.
The statement read, “To provide a safe environment for all of our guests and team members, we hire off-duty Dallas Police Department officers. We are reviewing our safety procedures to avoid similar incidents while continuing to ensure the safety and comfort of our team members and guests, as that is our top priority".
It is noteworthy to mention that Lane was denied restroom access even though Dallas has Ally's Law in place for situations involving emergency bathroom needs.
What is Ally's Law?
Ally's Law is also referred to as the Restroom Access Act. This legislation has been enacted in several states.
Its primary aim is to provide individuals with specific medical conditions the opportunity to urgently use a business's restroom when a public facility is unavailable.
However, the body camera footage of the incident captured the four police officers cruelly sharing a laugh about Lane's distressing condition instead of helping him.
