It's Not Looking Good for The Ex-Michigan Cop Caught Punching a Black Teen
Updated as of 11/6/2023 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Yikes! Things just got worse for a former Michigan officer who was caught on surveillance camera sucker-punching a Black teen.
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The Brutal Interaction
According to FOX 2 Detroit, the officer was booking 19-year-old Jaquwan Smith on a carjacking charge June 16. Surveillance footage shows Rodriguez talking to the teenager and suddenly punching him in the face, ramming him into the wall with his body and grabbing his dreads to slam his head into the floor repeatedly. Following the release of the video, the police department placed Rodriguez under internal investigation and ultimately gave him the boot.
The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office came on the heels of his termination with charges of misdemeanor assault and battery and willful neglect of duty. They said the ex-cop will be dealt with like any other citizen.
Now, he’s got to answer to the Feds on civil rights charges.
“It should send a clear message to those officers who defy their oath, and the constitution, contrary to the vast majority of law enforcement officers who carry out their duties,” Ison said via FOX2.
Read more from FOX 2 Detroit:
The federal criminal complaint says Rodriguez punched Jaquwan Smith in his head more than once, grabbed his hair and slammed his head to the ground, then lifted and kicked his feet.
The paperwork goes on to say: “WPD’s non-lethal use of force policy provides that officers use only the minimum amount of force necessary to affect and arrest, overcome resistance, defend themselves or others, or to gain control.”
FBI Detroit special acting agent Devin Kowalski said the video “broke his heart” and called the officer’s actions “completely unacceptable.”
“Actions like that compromise trust in the community, the trust the community has with law enforcement. I commend the Macomb County Prosecutor, the police department as well as the US Attorney for aggressively investigating this,” said Kowalski via FOX2.
Smith has also filed a civil rights lawsuit against the officer, city of Warren and two officers present during the attack for not intervening, per ClickOnDetroit. Though, he must still appear for his carjacking charge at a later date.
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