DPS says Ramos was captured on camera taking barricades and sandbags at the Sept. 20 protest
Texas Department of Public SafetyState law enforcement agency, in a statement to the Austin American-Statesman and CBS Austin
In a statement on the evening of September 26, DPS said troopers and Criminal Investigation Division agents arrested Misael Ramos on an outstanding warrant tied to the September 20 protest. DPS said he was captured on camera taking construction barricades, sandbags and other items and attempting to obstruct traffic, and it linked videos it said showed some of his actions. He was booked on a riot charge.
“Ramos had an outstanding warrant stemming from his actions during the Sept. 20, 2026, protests in Austin, where he was captured on camera taking construction barricades, sandbags, and other items and attempting to obstruct traffic.”
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Texas DPS charge Austin protesters with riot over the Garces Perez shooting demonstration?
On Saturday, September 26, 2026, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested Misael Ramos, a candidate for Austin City Council District 1, on a Class B misdemeanor charge of riot participation. The charge stems from a September 20 protest in North Austin after an ICE officer shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. DPS said Ramos had an outstanding warrant and "was captured on camera taking construction barricades, sandbags, and other items and attempting to obstruct traffic." Ramos and his campaign say troopers arrested him while he walked his dog and did not show him a warrant. His attorney, Edmund "Skip" Davis, said he had seen no "riotous kind of behavior," and Austin Lawyers Guild spokesperson George Lobb called other arrests made this week "bogus DPS warrants." Ramos was released on a $1,000 personal bond. The Austin Lawyers Guild said at least three other people were arrested on rioting and resisting-arrest charges over the same protest. The dispute is whether DPS should charge people who took part in the September 20 protest with riot.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
The Statesman reproduces the statement DPS gave it on Saturday evening, Sept. 26, and reports that DPS linked videos it said showed some of Ramos's actions, which the paper says appear to show him lifting at least one barricade and a sandbag. It also carries Ramos's and campaign manager Jeffrey Clemmons's account of the arrest.
Reporting
About this source
CBS Austin's report carries the full DPS statement and quotes Ramos's attorney Skip Davis at the jail press conference. It says DPS had not answered questions about who took the videos and photo, whether Ramos was shown a warrant, or why he was arrested days later, and that the outlet did not obtain the warrant or affidavit because the courthouse was closed Saturday.
Before the quotation
Ramos was arrested at about 8:45 a.m. CDT on Saturday. His campaign said troopers did not show him a warrant.
After the quotation
CBS Austin reported that DPS had not answered questions about who recorded the videos, whether Ramos was shown a warrant, or why he was arrested six days after the protest.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to DPS charging people who took part in the September 20 protest with riot, DPS explains the Ramos arrest and riot charge by pointing to video of his conduct. That defends the arrest, so we labeled it Defended or excused.
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More from this case
Read the full caseAustin Lawyers Guild says people have a constitutional right to protest and arrest does not establish a crime
Austin Lawyers Guild
“People have a constitutional right to gather, speak, protest, and criticize the government. ... bogus DPS warrants”Read statement
Ramos says his arrest shows the impunity officers feel toward neighbors living in fear
“That these officers felt emboldened to do this to me, as a candidate on the ballot, speaks volumes to the level of impunity they feel to do this to our neighbors, who are living in fear of these kinds of abductions every day.”Read statement
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- DPS says Ramos was captured on camera taking barricades and sandbags at the Sept. 20 protest
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The Dispute Index. "DPS says Ramos was captured on camera taking barricades and sandbags at the Sept. 20 protest". First published: 2026-09-28. Last updated: 2026-09-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/2928-in-a-statement-on-the-evening-of-september