SAN MARCOS, Texas – The City of San Marcos has resolved a lawsuit involving an incident in 2020 when a group of vehicles known as the “Trump Train” surrounded a Biden campaign bus on Interstate 35.
The lawsuit, filed in June 2021 by Eric Cervini, Wendy Davis, David Gins, and Timothy Holloway, alleged that a group of President Donald Trump supporters in at least 40 vehicles surrounded a Joe Biden-Kamala Harris campaign bus while it traveled north from San Antonio to Austin on Interstate 35 on October 30, 2020. The lawsuit alleges that the Biden-Harris campaign supporters were intimidated, harassed and attacked during campaign stops. The Democratic campaign staffers said the City of San Marcos failed to respond to their calls for police assistance.
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The lawsuit alleged that San Marcos Director of Public Safety Chase Stapp, members of the San Marcos Police Department and the San Marcos City Marshal’s Department failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the harassment that led them to ultimately cancel the San Marcos campaign stop.
City officials on Wednesday conceded that the police department failed to respond appropriately to the calls for help.
“While the City of San Marcos continues to deny many of the allegations in the lawsuit, the City of San Marcos Police Department’s response did not reflect the Department’s high standards for conduct and attention to duty,” a statement on behalf of City Manager Stephanie Reyes said. “As such, the City has elected to work together with the claimants to reach a resolution that will bring an end to the lawsuit and improve future operations of the City of San Marcos Police Department. The City has also agreed to contribute $87,500 toward compensating the claimants for the incident and the expenses incurred in pursuing their claims.
“The City regrets that Mr. Cervini, Ms. Davis, Mr. Gins, and Mr. Holloway had this unfortunate experience while travelling through the City of San Marcos. Following this event, the City of San Marcos Police Department has been committed to improving its operations. To further its ongoing commitment, all members of the police department, both sworn and professional staff, will attend training in the coming weeks. This training will remind members of their obligation and role in developing and fortifying community trust and respect in local law enforcement. Citizens and visitors to the City of San Marcos should have confidence in the San Marcos Police Department, and a review of this event has better positioned the Department to more fully meet the community’s needs and expectations.”