- A disabled army veteran was refused access to a Dallas restroom, leading him to urinate on himself.
- Dynell Lane said two off-duty cops working as security guards refused to review his medical paperwork.
- A video shows four cops laughing at the incident.
Four Dallas police officers were caught on video laughing about a disabled veteran who urinated on himself after he was denied access to a restaurant bathroom.
The veteran, Dynell Lane, told Dallas Police Department's Community Police Oversight Board that he asked two off-duty police officers who were working security at Serious Pizza to review his medical paperwork around 2:15 a.m. on June 10 after employees said he couldn't use the restrooms, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Lane called 911 but officers did not arrive in time and he said he left after he had a "urine and bowel leak issue," the paper reported.
Two on-duty police officers arrived at the restaurant, and body-camera footage shows them asking the off-duty cops about someone who reported having "pissed themselves," according to the local paper.
"So you guys made a guy pee himself?" says one of the on-duty officers while laughing and bringing her a fist to her mouth.
One of the off-duty officers smiles and says, "yeah," while the other one questions: "He called 911?"
When the on-duty officers respond affirmatively, one of the off-duty officers exclaims, "Ahhh!" and slaps his knee while laughing, per the paper.
"He got mad you guys wouldn't let him use the restroom, and then he calls back and said it's OK; he doesn't need to pee anymore because he soiled —" one of the on-duty officers says before the other one appears to shut off the body camera filming the exchange.
"Ally's Law"
Lane said he was wounded while deployed for the US Army in Afghanistan and Kuwait and had surgery on his lower extremities. The US Army confirmed details of his service to the paper.
"The Dallas Police Department failed me," Lane told oversight members, per The Dallas Morning News. "Two Dallas police officers discriminated against me and declined to assist me in bridging the gap between myself and the Serious Pizza manager."
Several states, including Texas, have a restroom access law known as "Ally's Law," which requires establishments to allow individuals with certain medical conditions to access their restroom facilities when needed.
"If a retail establishment chooses to ignore a person who is trying to present such documents, they should be held accountable, for this is why [the Americans With Disabilities Act] is in place," Lane told the oversight board, per the paper.
The department's internal affairs division initially found that the officers did not violate department policy, the paper reported.
This week, a police spokeswoman told the Dallas Morning News that the department is "looking into the complaint" but when asked if the investigation had been reopened, said no.
The oversight board questioned why internal affairs officials did not initially investigate the incident.
One oversight board member Jonathan Maples said the incident had "absolutely turned my stomach," and it was "absolutely appalling" to treat a veteran that way.
In a statement to the Dallas Morning News, Milkshake Concepts, the company that owns Serious Pizza, said it was "aware of the unfortunate incident."
"To provide a safe environment for all of our guests and team members, we hire off-duty Dallas Police Department officers," the statement said. "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."