Several viral videos appear to show a group of Donald Trump supporters in vehicles surrounding a Joe Biden/Kamala Harris campaign bus driving north along the freeway. On Nov. 2, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra issued a statement condemning what he called a non-response from Sheriff Gary Cutler’s office. Cutler's office issued a separate statement, criticizing the judge over his accusations.
JUST IN: The FBI is investigating an incident in Texas on Friday involving the alleged harassment of a Biden-Harris campaign bus by motorists displaying Trump 2020 flags, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation tells CNN. @joshscampbell reports
— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) November 1, 2020
Becerra’s statement acknowledges that the incident is now under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and implores the bureau to investigate the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, the constable’s office and San Marcos Police Department.
Becerra’s office specifically calls into question why Cutler “failed to respond to the 911 call and then openly blamed the bus for the incident, which garnered national attention as perceived partisan criminality.”
“The Sheriff’s victim blaming is beneath the Office of Sheriff and no one should need to call ahead for support for law enforcement when lives and safety are threatened,” Becerra said in the statement, which added that the constable’s office and SMPD failed to intervene on account of traffic.
Community Impact Newspaper reached out to Cutler’s office, which sent a statement saying, “I find Judge Beccera’s comments about the Biden bus incident to be irresponsible and without merit.”
Cutler's statement said his office was not notified in advance about the visit, and the bus was supposed to go to Texas State University for a rally. By the time his office was notified that the campaign bus was continuing north on I-35, his Kyle and Buda deputies were working a vehicle accident with injuries and could not respond in time to help.
“Furthermore, the [I-35] corridor from San Marcos to the Travis County line is handled by the San Marcos, Kyle, and Buda police departments,” Cutler said in the statement. “Our agency does not respond to incidents on [I-35] unless assistance is requested by the respective agency. Becerra saw an opportunity to be on center stage and decided to take another jab at law enforcement. Shame on him for not seeking facts.”
