Texas based YouTuber and activist Manuel Mata was arrested again on Thursday, this time apparently for jaywalking while crossing a street to go around a police car in downtown Fort Worth, Texas.
According to multiple tech-ridden attempts at reporting over the weekend by Carolyn “Carolina in Ft. Worth” Rodriguez (Carolina), along with a video posted by a passer-by featured on both Mata and Carolina’s individual YouTube channels, Mata initially encountered a police vehicle blocking the street in Fort Worth.
When the officer refused to identify himself, Mata went around the vehicle, which was blocking the crosswalk, and verbally engaged with the officer. The officer kept Mata on the scene until Fort Worth police showed up and made the arrest of Mata.
According to Carolina’s reporting, the initial trooper was actually a national guard reservist and was playing a role in ICE activity in Fort Worth. That reservist was unable to make an arrest on his own by law, which resulted in the need for multiple backup units from the Fort Worth police to make the arrest.
Mata was ultimately charged with jaywalking, failure to identify and resisting arrest. He was not in the Fort Worth booking system by the end of the week, though he had yet to make a statement on the issue by the end of the weekend.
Carolina initially made the announcement on a joint live stream with teenaged YouTuber Wichita Audits on Saturday, however, Carolina’s internet refused to cooperate throughout the stream.
The pair ended the original livestream to join a panel on YouTuber Rogue Nation’s channel, where Carolina gave the initial story and played a partial video before that stream ended.
A full story would later emerge on a Sunday stream on Carolina’s channel, where she managed to tell a fuller version of the story and fill in the information on the national guardsman arresting Mata.
Other than reposting the short by the passerby, Mata has not released a statement on the incident as of press time.
Mata’s activism has seen him in and out of the court system in Fort Worth over the past year. According to Carolina, he had just finished his last trial and only had appeals left in the system at the time of arrest.
We will follow up on Mata’s status once we receive further information.
