A police officer in Warren, Michigan was charged with assault on Tuesday after video showed him punching a 19-year-old Black male in the face, pulling his hair, and slamming him into the ground. Thanks to his peers stepping up to report the incident, charges have been filed.
The video shows Officer Matthew Rodriguez, 48, and the 19-year-old exchange words as he was being processed into the jail on June 13. It is unclear what words were being exchanged, but as Rodriguez stood up to grab paperwork off of the printer he punched the male in his face. He picked the teen up and slammed him to the ground.
Rodriguez then grabbed the male by his locs and mushed his head into the floor before two other officers quickly intervened. The officers pulled the male up and Rodriguez threw him into a jail cell.
The 19-year-old was arrested for multiple felony charges. His identity nor his charges were revealed.
“No badge or uniform can shield anyone from accountability,” Macomb County prosecutor Pete Lucido said.
According to the Detroit News, Rodriguez was charged with willful neglect of duty and assault. Both charges are misdemeanors and his bond was set at $5,000. He was also placed on paid leave and is set to have a hearing with Police Commissioner William Dwyer on June 23 to determine whether if he is fired.
“The footage … is sad, and it’s upsetting to every member of this department,” Dwyer said. “The reason we are here today is to be transparent and to inform the public that acts of misconduct will not be tolerated. The Warren Police Department has not received a citizen’s complaint; my administration self-initiated this investigation.”
Dwyer also laid out the timeline of the events.
“The officer takes custody of the arrestee at 6:06 a.m.,” Dwyer said. “He delivered the first strike at 6:08 a.m. and 37 seconds (later) … two other officers responded and intervened … a mere 6 seconds after seeing the first strike.”
He added that the incident was reported at 7:15 a.m. that day and supervisors relayed the news to police administration at 8 a.m., according to the Detroit News. Dwyer said an internal investigation was launched by 8:10 a.m. and Rodriguez was placed on paid leave by 9 a.m., per the contract with Police Officers Association of Warren union.
Dwyer said that arrestee was sent to the hospital by his orders to make sure he wasn’t injured because he didn’t request medical attention. The prisoner was returned to his cell with no physical injuries reported and then transferred at 4:10 p.m. to Macomb County Jail on that same day.
Dwyer praised the two officers who immediately intervened to defuse the situation and also reported it to managers afterwards.
“I have nothing but respect for them,” Dwyer said. “Those officers did their duty and reported their fellow officer because it was the right thing to do.”
Rodriguez has been with the Warren Police Department for 14 years. Warren is located almost 19 miles north of Detroit. No information was released on whether if Rodriguez hired a lawyer or not.
“This case does show that the system and our policies do work,” Lucido said. “If it were not for the reporting and review of this incident, we may have never known about it.”
Lucido also added that Rodriguez wasn’t charged with felony assault because “there wasn’t an injury.”
