Fort Worth police officer who slammed woman to ground during arrest has been fired
A Fort Worth police officer has been fired after he was shown on video slamming a woman to the ground while arresting her as she livestreamed the encounter in the West 7th area in June.
Officer Matthew Krueger was terminated on Wednesday, Dec. 18, after an administrative investigation of the on-duty use-of-force incident, the department said in a news release.
The woman, 60-year-old Carolyn Rodriguez, was seriously injured during the arrest on June 23 and was taken to a hospital for evaluation and treatment. Rodriguez suffered injuries including a dislocated elbow, fractured orbital bone and lacerations.
Police were investigating a hit-and-run crash in the area of 1000 Foch Street when Rodriguez approached officers and recorded them on her cellphone for a livestream on her YouTube channel.
Krueger asked Rodriguez multiple times to move across the street, according to portions of bodycam and surveillance video released by police. When she failed to comply, Krueger used force to arrest her, police said.
“The Fort Worth Police Major Case and Internal Affairs Units began immediate and congruent investigations into this incident,” the department said. “Officer Krueger was transferred from Patrol to a unit with no public interaction, pending the outcome of the investigation.”
“After a thorough review of the Internal Affairs investigation, Officer Krueger’s chain of command determined that the level of force used was unjustified and violated departmental policy,” the statement says. “Police Chief Neil Noakes concurred with the chain of command’s determination and terminated Officer Krueger’s employment with the department.”
Krueger had been with the department for just under eight years.
Rodriguez appeals her conviction
At her trial last week, a Tarrant County jury found Rodriguez guilty of interference with public duties and not guilty of making a false report.
The state before trial waived the count of resisting arrest with which it had charged Rodriguez. Judge Brian Bolton ruled that her direct contact with officers during the arrest was not relevant in the guilt-innocence phase of the trial, and the jury did not learn about the forceful elements until the punishment phase.
The defense requested a punishment of no more than three days in jail and no fine. Prosecutors asked for the maximum of 180 days and a $2,000 fine.
Jurors settled on 30 days in jail and a $750 fine. But at a hearing on Monday, Dec. 16, Judge Bolton suspended further execution of Rodriguez’s sentence and ordered that she be released from jail while she appeals her conviction, her attorney, Mark Streiff, wrote in an email to the Star-Telegram. The judge also ordered that she be placed on 15 months of probation, but the probation period won’t begin until the appeals process is completed, Streiff said.
“Ms. Rodriguez maintains her innocence but understands the jury convicted her on one count and respects the fact that the jury assessed a punishment (30-days in jail and $750 fine),” Streiff said. “Ms. Rodriguez wished to serve the sentence that was handed down by the jury while her appeal proceeded through the courts.”
In the description of her YouTube channel on which she posts critiques of the police, Rodriguez wrote that her goals are “to bring awareness concerning our out of control Criminal Justice system” and “to educate the public as to what rights they have and how to use them.”
Conditions of her bond include not interfering with law enforcement officers and staying at least 25 feet away from officers while they are performing their duties, court documents state.
Officers’ association ‘shocked and disappointed’
The Fort Worth Police Officers’ Association released a statement Wednesday calling the department’s actions a wrongful termination of Krueger’s employment.
The association is “shocked and disappointed with Chief Noakes’ decision,” which “raises serious concerns about how internal discipline is administered within the Fort Worth Police Department,” the statement says.
According to the officers’ association, experts on the department’s Use of Force Review Board supported Krueger’s use of force to gain control of Rodriguez, and the technique he used is taught in academy training.
The association said that the district attorney’s office found no criminal conduct was committed by any of the officers involved.
“Due to Chief Noakes’ decision today, individuals like Ms. Rodriguez will only be empowered in the future to interfere with legitimate police actions,” the association said, “making the job of protecting the citizens of Fort Worth even more difficult and dangerous for the brave men and women of the FWPD.”
The officers’ association said it looks forward to an arbitration hearing for Krueger and expects that will lead to reinstatement of his job.
This article includes information from the Star-Telegram’s archives.
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 3:25 PM.
