Two San Antonio police offers suspended over separate uses of excessive force

Two San Antonio police officers were recently suspended without pay for using unnecessary or unreasonable force during arrests, disciplinary records show.

Officer Luis F. Guzman received a 25-day suspension over accusations that he grabbed a suspect and struck the man’s head three times against the ground, resulting in “visible injury,” according to San Antonio Police Department documents.

Separately, Officer Reid P. Butler served a 10-day suspension for repeatedly kicking a suspect in the head as other police personnel tried to restrain the man, according to SAPD paperwork.

Guzman’s suspension stems from his April 24 apprehension of a robbery suspect in a parking lot at 303 San Pedro Ave., disciplinary documents show.

A formal investigation of Guzman’s conduct revealed that in addition to using excessive force, he muted his body-worn camera for 12 minutes during the arrest, according to police records. Switching off a body cam while having direct interaction with a suspect violates department policy.

Butler’s punishment relates to a May 3 call about an assault in progress. After other officers tried to restrain the suspect in the case near 300 Gulf St., Butler arrived on the scene and kicked the man in the head and face five times, leaving him with injuries, disciplinary records state.

Guzman served his suspension Oct. 15-Nov. 8, while Butler served his Oct. 14-23, according to police documents.

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This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 10, 2024.