A San Antonio police officer fired in 2020 over allegations that he knelt on a suspect’s head and neck now faces felony criminal charges over the incident, KSAT reports.
On Tuesday, a Bexar County grand jury indicted former officer Michael Brewer on charges of unlawful restraint, a third-degree felony, the station reported, citing court records. If convicted, he faces two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Brewer and Officer Andre Vargas were both terminated over their response to a November 26, 2019 disturbance call on the South Side. The pair arrested Matthew Anthony Garza during the incident, who was charged with evading arrest.
Brewer’s body-cam showed him subjecting Garza to “unnecessary physical violence” by pressing his knee into the man’s head and neck, according to disciplinary records cited by KSAT. The suspect was handcuffed and “appeared to provide no resistance,” the report states.
SAPD records also accused Vargas of using unnecessary force when he lifted Garza by his arms even though he was already cuffed, the station reports. Investigators also said Vargas’ use of a stun gun to subdue the suspect “far exceeded” the force necessary to make the arrest.
Four years before Brewer was fired over Garza’s arrest, the officer was reportedly involved in the death of a 41-year-old man whom police said was having a mental health crisis.
After Ernesto Carraman tried to punch another SAPD officer, Brewer repeatedly used a Taser on the man, who subsequently went into cardiac arrest, according to police records. Carraman died shortly after paramedics tried to resuscitate him, according to documents.
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This article appears in Mar 23 – Apr 5, 2022.