A former candidate for Texas State Representative in District 55 was arrested near San Antonio on Tuesday.
C.J. Grisham, who lost in the Republican primary election, was involved in a pro-second amendment demonstration at which he and others were openly carrying firearms, as permitted by Texas law, in the City of Olmos Park in Bexar County. During the demonstration, Grisham was asked to get on the ground by Olmos Park Police Chief Rene Valenciano.
Video from the scene shows Grisham refuse to do so, and he is subsequently taken to the ground. Open Carry Texas, the pro-gun advocacy group that Grisham founded, released a statement that claimed Grisham was “tasered and suffered an injury.”
“Chief Valenciano believes the Olmos Park Police Department is above the law and appears to enjoy terrorizing lawful gun owners,” Open Carry Texas Vice President David Amad said in a statement. “Open Carry Texas will not allow such outrageous abuse by government officials against law abiding Texans. We will fight until Olmos Park respects the constitutional rights of citizens and the laws of the State of Texas.”
A message for the Olmos Park Police Department was not immediately returned.
Magistrate records made public Wednesday morning indicate C.J. Grisham was charged with assault of a peace officer, interference with the duties of a public servant, obstruction of passageway, and resisting arrest. He was held on bonds totaling $13,000, online records showed.
The Self Defense Fund, a legal gun defense group consisting of trial lawyers, has vowed to “litigate this case to the fullest and hold those accountable for their violations of our member’s civil rights.” The organization demanded a public apology from Valenciano and said its legal team was prepared to post bond.
The incident came after a tense phone call on Monday between Grisham and Valenciano, which was posted to YouTube.
Grisham became well-known in Texas after he was arrested by Temple Police in 2013 while carrying an AR-15 and .45 caliber handgun on a hike with his son. He was convicted in 2014 on a charge of interfering with a peace officer’s duties. Grisham then sued the City of Temple and two police officers, but the lawsuit was dropped.
Grisham made headlines earlier this year for comments he made on social media about law enforcement.
OMG. First I listened to the phone-call vid and then watched the confrontation. Can it be any more clear that tyranny has arrived in spades?!! I want to applaud these guys who were exercising their rights, but I can’t say if they did everything perfectly; it appeared that they did. If I have a blind-spot, please let me know. This was most difficult to watch. Seems some are called to walk right into the face of the oppressor, to call out the enemy. I hope this incident becomes a very big deal, especially on the grounds that no law was broken. Yet, a cunning power was wielded. God, I feel like crying.
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