A San Antonio police officer is serving a 45-day suspension without pay over allegations that he roughed up a handcuffed prisoner and didn’t turn on his body camera for the arrest, disciplinary records show.
SAPD officials originally considered removing Officer Matthew S. Sparks from the force over the charges but instead opted for a temporary suspension after he rebutted some allegations against him, according to police paperwork.
Shortly after midnight March 13, Sparks handled a call about a suspect shooting a firearm into the ground at a traffic intersection. Although Sparks and another officer initially took the man into custody without incident, disciplinary records accuse Sparks of failing to turn on his body camera for the arrest — a violation of department rules.
As the handcuffed suspect lay on his side, he apparently leaned on Sparks’ leg, according to SAPD documents. “Stop fucking touching me! “Fuck’s wrong with you?” Sparks yelled while kicking the handcuffed suspect into a prone position, the records state.
The kick constituted “unnecessary physical violence” toward the restrained prisoner, according to SAPD records.
The disciplinary report also accuse Sparks of using further unnecessary force on the prisoner after he bit another officer’s elbow during a search. Even though the suspect was under control of “several officers,” Sparks twisted the man’s thumb then hit him in the face several times with a closed fist, according to records.
After a fellow officer tried to intervene by pulling Sparks away, Sparks shoved the coworker and said, “Get your fucking hand off me!” according to the disciplinary document.
Sparks’ altercation with the other officer breached department rules requiring personnel to treat others on the force with respect, the report said.
Sparks’ suspension began Oct. 1 and will end Nov. 14, according to SAPD documents. His punishment included consideration of his disciplinary record, which also included a three-day suspension in October of 2022, the paperwork notes.
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This article appears in Oct 16-29, 2024.
