Former Warren officer Matthew Rodriguez pleads guilty in assault of arrestee

Warren police officer charged in attack on carjacking suspect during booking photo

In less than a minute, a 19-year-old man from Detroit brought in for booking last Tuesday for carjacking, became the victim of Warren Police Officer Matthew Rodriguez.

WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A former Warren police officer pleaded guilty to assaulting a 19-year-old man during his booking on June 13, 2023. The use of excessive force was captured on video.

In footage released by the Warren Police Department shortly after the incident, then-officer Matthew Rodriguez, 49, can be seen punching Jaquwan Smith in the head, shoving him against a wall, slamming him to the ground, and striking him again after fingerprinting and photographing him.

Smith sustained injuries as a result of the beating.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The former officer of 14 years was also accused of filing a false report of his conduct, in an effort to affect the investigation, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison previously announced.

"During the plea hearing, Rodriguez admitted that he knew that his use of force against (Smith) was unreasonable and contrary to department policy, and that he wrote a report in which he made false statements about the incident and omitted material information."

Warren police fired Rodriguez for the assault on June 26, 2023, following an internal investigation.

"This police officer carried out a violent assault on a man who was doing nothing to harm or endanger him and then tried to cover up his crime," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in the release. "Police officers are not above the law in our country and will be held accountable when they violate people’s civil and constitutional rights.

"When law enforcement abuses their authority, it erodes trust between the police and the community they are sworn to protect and serve."

Warren officials show booking officer's assault against inmate

A Warren jail official is on unpaid administrative leave after video shows he struck an inmate in the face while booking him into the facility for a carjacking offense. He continued to strike the individual before placing him back in a cell.

Rodriguez will be sentenced on Aug. 20. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

"A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors," the U.S. Department of Justice stated.