Democratic congressional candidate Isaiah Martin was forcibly removed and arrested at the Texas State Capitol on Thursday following a heated outburst during a House Redistricting Committee hearing in Austin.
Martin, 27, is running in a special election to represent Texas’ 18th Congressional District, a seat left vacant after the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) on March 5. During the hearing, Martin exceeded his two-minute speaking time and refused to yield the floor, continuing to speak even after his microphone was cut off. Republican state Rep. Cody Vasut, who was chairing the session, ordered the sergeant-at-arms to remove him.
Security officers struggled to escort Martin from the room, with one officer appearing to fall on top of him during the scuffle. “Get off of him!” a woman in the audience yelled as Martin was taken to the ground. A security officer responded, claiming Martin had tripped.
As he was dragged out, Martin shouted, “America will rise up against you!” He was later arrested and booked into the Travis County Jail on charges of criminal trespass, disrupting a public meeting, and resisting arrest, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Martin’s brother defended his actions in a social media post, stating that Martin was exercising his First Amendment rights and “willingly walked with officers out of the building.” He added that Martin was being used as an example and that the arrest was unjustified.
All charges against Martin were dropped the following day, and he was expected to be released from jail, his brother confirmed.
Martin previously served as a staffer for the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and is one of eight Democratic candidates running for the Houston-area congressional seat.
