According to the Garland Police Department, one of its officers was fired for kneeing a handcuffed man and pepper-spraying a woman in the back of a police car on two separate but consecutive days in February.
As reported by the Dallas Express, former Garland police officer Matthew Mitchell was suspended indefinitely in May for excessive use of force in connection to the February incident. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement revealed that Mitchell had only been with the department for just over a month before the incidents.
Police Chief Jeff Bryan, in a letter to the Garland Civil Service Commission in May, wrote that Mitchell had “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” misrepresented his recollection of the first incident to the internal affairs investigators, which was a violation of the Garland PD policy, and grounds for firing. Bryan also wrote that Mitchell is also accused of omitting his use of force in his initial reports.
Bryan, in his letter to the commission, provided details of Mitchell’s use of force. According to Bryan’s letter, the fired officer and three other Garland police officers were on the scene of a traffic stop on Feb. 21, around 3:45 a.m. A suspected stolen vehicle had been pulled over by the officers.
The suspected car thief was arrested and placed in a police car, but the handcuffed suspect attempted to escape. An officer caught the suspect, and while being restrained by other officers on his back, Mitchell struck him in the head, shin, and face with his knee. Bryan wrote that the suspect was left “dazed and nearly unconscious” after Mitchell struck him.
According to Byan’s letter, Mitchell told an internal affairs investigator three weeks later that he had been trying to help his fellow officers in restraining the suspect, and that he did not know his knee had hit the suspect twice in the head.
Bryan wrote that Mitchell’s recollection of the event was not the same as his colleague’s. However, when Mitchell watched the video of the incident, which was captured by a body camera, he said that the use of force “most likely hurt,” Bryan wrote.
Bryan wrote in his letter that the second incident occurred on Feb. 22, at about 3 a.m., after Mitchell and another officer responded to a domestic disturbance call at a residence. Mitchell told a woman in the residence that she was under arrest for assault after conducting an on-scene investigation.
Bryan wrote that the woman exhaled through her nose and discharged mucus onto the arm of the second officer. The officer told Mitchell the woman spat on him, but she said she was only blowing her nose. The officer wiped his sleeve and moved to the back of the police car after placing her inside. However, Mitchell opened the car door and pepper-sprayed the woman without a warning or command about fourteen seconds after the woman blew her nose.
According to Garland police, Mitchell omitted the encounter from his report, but a department lieutenant reviewed body camera footage and discovered that Mitchell’s report and the footage did not match. The lieutenant told Mitchel to resubmit the report.
Mitchell amended the report to show that the woman was not complying with officers and tried to spit on the other officer, but police said the body camera footage did not show that to be the case.
For more Dallas crime-related news, see how Dallas City Councilmember Chad West of District 1 was named The Dallas Express’ Crime Boss of the Month for July 2022.
