The encounter took place on private property, not on a public sidewalk, according to Corbin Rubinson, the police spokesperson. He said police had grounds to arrest the men but chose not to, and that the officers followed the city code requiring them to first tell the group to remedy the noise violation before issuing the citation.<\/p>\n
Police issued the criminal trespass warnings at the request of a nearby business representative, Rubinson said. Property owners, he added, have the right to request that individuals leave if they are causing a disturbance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dallas Police Department remains committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of all individuals and groups while also enforcing applicable city ordinances and state and federal laws,\u201d Rubinson said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Outside the American Airlines Center<\/p>\n
Police responded at about 7:20 p.m. Dec. 18 to the 2600 block of Victory Avenue, where off-duty officers hired by a third party were working before the Mavericks\u2019 game against the Detroit Pistons.<\/p>\n
The preachers were evangelizing with a loudspeaker. Police said a nearby resident asked the group lower the volume, and officers told the group to turn it down.<\/p>\n
Rubinson said that when officers approached, \u201cseveral individuals attempted to antagonize the officers.\u201d The officers then moved to detain the two for their safety, he said.<\/p>\n
One of the officers in the video circulating online is Assistant Chief Richard Foy. He oversees four of the department\u2019s eight patrol divisions. <\/p>\n
![\"File](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IEIWTDKDQVAYBHTZDDVWM6XYLQ.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
File photo.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
Dieterich and Thurman, who both live in North Texas, said they were part of a group of five people and had been there for roughly two hours before the encounter. They denied they had antagonized officers, saying they were asking questions to understand why they were being detained.<\/p>\n
They said police were \u201cquick\u201d to put them in handcuffs, adding the officers had them sit on a large planter \u2014 which they had been preaching from \u2014 for 30 to 45 minutes before releasing them.<\/p>\n
They said they were willing to turn down the loudspeaker\u2019s volume. Thurman said they had recently gotten a decibel meter, but had not used it that day.<\/p>\n
The group said they had set up outside the American Airlines Center before. A video clip posted to Testimonies of God\u2019s Facebook shows them evangelizing from the same corner before the Mavericks\u2019 game against the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 12.<\/p>\n
Video clip spreads online<\/p>\n
The group posted a video of the interaction on social media. The clip was circulating this week on X, where it was shared by Libs of TikTok, an influential conservative account that often amplifies videos to criticize liberals and LGBTQ rights.<\/a><\/p>\n Rubinson said the department typically does not comment on social media posts, but did so for transparency after receiving questions about the encounter.<\/p>\n The clip drew the attention of Rep. Brian Harrison<\/a>. Earlier this year, the Midlothian Republican helped fuel<\/a> the online backlash that preceded the resignation<\/a> of Texas A&M University\u2019s president.<\/p>\n Texas Rep. Brian Harrison also tagged Harmeet K. Dhillon, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division, in a post on X.<\/p>\n Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/5MHF5WBFD5ARNJ4FHLURXFHONI.jpg\")
<\/p>\n