Warren police officer was accused of other assaults before punching inmate last year
WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Warren police officer awaiting sentencing for punching an inmate and slamming him to the ground during booking last year allegedly assaulted other people years before, according to a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors.
Matthew Rodriguez pleaded guilty earlier this year to deprivation of rights under color of law. He'll be sentenced Tuesday.
Rodriguez, a 14-year veteran of the force, was fired after the June 13, 2023 assault. In footage released by the Warren Police Department shortly after the incident, the officer 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.
Though this is the first time the officer has been convicted of a felony, prosecutors allege that it isn't the first time he assaulted someone.
In the sentencing memo, prosecutors detail a 2012 encounter that they refer to as "a shockingly similar incident." According to prosecutors, Rodriguiz was fingerprinting and photographing a suspect when he allegedly roundhouse kicked the person. He then allegedly lied about the assault in his use of force report, claiming that the person grabbed his wrist and punched at him. However, security video did not show the person trying to hit Rodriguez, nor did it show the officer trying to restrain them before kicking them.
He was disciplined after the police department investigated the incident and found that he violated department policy.
Rodriguez again allegedly assaulted a teen while working as a school resource officer at a Warren high school in 2017. Prosecutors said he lifted a student by his neck and then pulled him to the ground, causing the student to hit his head. Rodriguez did not report the incident but was removed from the school afterwards.
On-duty incidents are not the only time Rodriquez has been accused of violence, according to the sentencing memo. He was arrested for assault and battery in 1996 and domestic violence in 1998. Neither case resulted in a conviction.
Rodriguez faces up to 10 years in prison.