(WXYZ) — A Warren police officer who has been charged in an excessive force incident has been terminated.
According to the Warren Police Department, the termination went into effect immediately after an internal investigation.
The incident happened in the jail a few weeks ago. The officer was identified as Matthew Rodriguez and had 14 years on the force, according to Police Commissioner William Dwyer.
“Like everybody, I was shocked and appalled when I observed Rodriguez’s actions. These actions were completely unjustified and unprofessional, ultimately resulting in criminal charges against him. This incident no doubt reflected negatively on every member of this Department. A comprehensive internal investigation showed that Rodriguez violated multiple Department policies and procedures. Given the totality of this incident, the decision to terminate Rodriguez’s employment was clear and obvious," said Dwyer in a statement.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said the officer is charged with assault and battery.
"There's no duty to hit anyone. There's no duty to do exactly what happened in the video," Lucido said.
Video released by Warren police shows the officer talking to the suspect, then hitting the suspect with his right hand, knocking him down, kneeing him against the wall and throwing him down on the ground. Other officers intervened, and then the first officer dragged him up and threw him into the holding cell.
Dwyer detailed a timeline that indicated the man who was assaulted was arrested at 4:53 a.m., booked at the Warren police jail at 6:03 a.m., and a jail officer took custody of the man at 6:06 a.m.
Then, Dwyer said, the first strike happened at 6:08 a.m., and other officers intervened six seconds after the first strike and got the victim into the holding cell within 45 seconds.
