The Dallas City Council voted to approve an up to $65,000 settlement to a man who said he was beaten by a former Dallas police officer. Local media reports from the time say the officer in question had a history of use-of-force complaints.
Jesus Lule alleged that former DPD officer Melvin Williams assaulted him in 2021, according to court documents.
“Williams punched Mr. Lule at least six times in the face, causing Mr. Lule to be bloodied and injured,” the original lawsuit complaint alleged.
Williams was placed on administrative leave after a video of the incident circulated online. The Dallas Morning News reported Williams was fired by former Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia over the incident in 2022.
The lawsuit also includes a transcript from a conversation between Lule and officers who were investigating William’s “excessive use of force.”
“We’re not new at this, and we don’t cover up for officers,” the officers told Lule, according to the transcript of the recorded conversation. “When we saw that video of that officer standing over you punching you in the face, it pissed me off.”
The News reported that Williams was also charged with a misdemeanor assault in connection with the incident — and was already under two use-of-force investigations when he allegedly beat Lule.
One of the cases brought against Williams was for allegedly shooting a 23-year-old protester in the face with “less-lethal ammunition,” according to The News.
Williams wasn’t indicted for that incident but county prosecutors filed a misdemeanor charge against him for the protest altercation.
Wednesday’s settlement was part of the council’s consent agenda. Those items — which often amount to millions of dollars in city contracts, development approvals and legal payouts — rarely get discussed in open session.
Legal settlements are almost never brought up in public meetings — especially controversial payouts like Lule’s.
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