Warren police officer struck inmate in the head, slammed him into ground during booking

WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A veteran of the Warren Police Department was charged with assault and battery after he was caught on camera striking an inmate being booked into the city jail last week.

Matthew Rodriguez, 48, was in the booking room with a suspect who had been arrested for a carjacking on June 13 when he punched the individual in the head unprovoked. He then slammed the individual's head into the ground before striking him again in the head. 

Video from the booking room and released by the Warren Police Department showed the moments leading up to the assault, as well as when Rodriguez threw the individual into a cell. Rodriquez did not have his body camera on at the time. 

"It appears there may have been words (exchanged), but what happened there was uncalled for," said Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer. "There's no altercation between them. He went up and punched him."

There is no audio from the video, so it's unclear what was said between the two. Dwyer had the inmate taken to the hospital after the incident for follow-up care. 

Rodriguez is now on unpaid administrative leave. He's been with the department for 14 years. 

Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido called the incident unfortunate but also commended the two other officers in the room responding when they did. 

"The essence of this press conference goes to the heart of who has a duty in this case," he said. "The police did what they were supposed to. They had a duty to report and a duty to intervene."

Dwyer said he plans on meeting with Rodriguez later this week. 

He was arraigned shortly before the press conference in the 37th District Court. He was given a $5,000 bond. 

Editor's note: A previous version of this story misstated the date of the assault. The story has been updated with the correct date.