DPS troopers point gun at 10-year-old, his dad in South Austin

AUSTIN, Texas – An Austin resident is begging for DPS accountability after he says a trooper pulled a gun on him and his 10-year-old son during a traffic stop.

“All I hear is yelling right behind me saying, ‘get back inside the car’ and I look back, and I see guns pointed right at me,” said Angel Meza.

Angel, a 10-year-old, recalls the brief moment when he says DPS troopers pointed their guns at him. 

“I thought they were supposed to protect me,” said Angel.

It happened Sunday, July 9 right outside his home in South Austin. He says he and his dad were driving home from the pool and parked right outside their house.

“We’re right here at this intersection right here, and I notice the state trooper have put on his lights. I didn’t think anything of it,” said Carlos Meza.

At that moment, Carlos says it was not clear to him that DPS was trying to pull him over. He says if it was clear, he would not have let his son do what he did next.

“My son needed to use the restroom really bad, so he gets out of the vehicle and they say no. We hear a whole bunch of screaming,” said Carlos.

In that brief moment when 10-year-old Angel hopped out of the car to go inside his home, he says DPS troopers were behind him with their weapons drawn.

“I was terrified. I was shaking, and then I told my dad that they’re pointing guns at me,” said Angel.

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Carlos remembers being shocked. He says a trooper then came up to his side of the car with the gun pointed at him.

“I turned to my left because I’m still in my driver’s side and I see a gun pointed at me, at my head. I’m like, what are you doing?” he said.

Carlos says DPS pulled him over for his lack of paper plates. He says he did not care about anything except his son’s safety.

DPS eventually let Angel go inside, but Carlos says he was kept outside for an hour. He says DPS gave him a ticket over the plates and also made him do a sobriety test which he passed. They then searched his car and wrote him up for the CBD they found inside.

In the end, he just wants accountability for what they did to his son.

“There needs to be accountability for the state troopers here in Austin,” said Carlos.

Monday, July 10, the Austin Public Safety Commission approved a recommendation to hold DPS accountable during this partnership with APD.

Commissioners recommended council discontinue the partnership unless there is significant community engagement and a resolution passed adopting guidelines with goals, accountability, and expectations for DPS in Austin. 

It is something this father and son duo can get behind after facing such a scary encounter with DPS

DPS has not responded to FOX 7 Austin’s request for comment.