Fired Warren officer gets 1 year in prison for beating inmate at police station
Ex-Warren police officer Matthew Rodriguez was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to serve one year and one day in prison for using excessive force against an inmate while fingerprinting and photographing him at the police department.
District Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey allowed Rodriguez to remain free as he awaits to be assigned to a federal prison. The former cop also faced a $250,000 fine but the judge instead issued a standard $100 special assessment fee.
Wearing a short-sleeved plaid button-down shirt and khaki pants, Rodriguez ignored reporters’ requests for comment as he left the federal courthouse in Detroit. He also remained silent during the sentencing hearing.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Dawn N. Ison said after the sentencing police officers have a duty to protect the civil rights of everyone, including individuals in their custody.
“Physical abuse of detainees is completely unacceptable and undermines public confidence in the integrity of law enforcement,” she said in a statement. “My office is committed to accountability for all public servants who abuse the public trust, and today’s sentence is a powerful reflection of that commitment.”
Rodriguez, 49, pleaded guilty in March to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law after an inhouse surveillance system showed he punched Jaquwan Smith in the face and slammed his head to the ground in June 2013 while fingerprinting and photographing him at the police station.
Court officials said the video has been seen by more than more than 2.8 million viewers online.
According to court records, on June 13, 2023, then-officer Rodriguez was fingerprinting and photographing the 19-year-old suspect, who had recently been brought to the Warren Police Department’s jail for processing after he was arrested for carjacking.
During fingerprinting, Rodriguez and Smith got into a verbal argument and began trading insults. In retaliation for one of Smith’s remarks, Rodriguez struck Smith multiple times and slammed his head against the fingerprint room floor.
In connection with his plea, Rodriguez admitted to writing a report in which he made false statements about the incident and omitted material information in an attempt to cover up his crime.
Since being fired from the Warren Police Department, Rodriguez has been working as a truck driver.
Defense attorneys for Rodriguez acknowledge he “lost his temper” in the incident.
Steve Fishman, representing Rodriguez, asked the judge to spare his client from imprisonment. He argued Smith did not suffer serious injuries and noted Rodriguez, who spent more than 30 years working in law enforcement, including as a Detroit police officer, has already been punished significantly in losing his job and being convicted of a federal crime.
This wasn’t the first time the former officer had violent encounters with detainees.
According to the memorandum filed in U.S. District Court, he was disciplined in 2012 for what prosecutors called “a shockingly similar incident” that involved assaulting with a “roundhouse kick” a detainee he was fingerprinting and lying about it in a report later filed.
In another instance, Rodriguez used excessive force in 2017 when he served as a school resource officer at a high school in Warren. He grabbed and lifted a student by his neck and pulled him to the ground, causing the teen to hit his head on a locker. He was removed from the school following the incident.
Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said Rodriguez violated his oath to protect and serve his community. Instead, she said, he abused his power by violently assaulting an arrestee.
“This sentence should serve as a reminder to all law enforcement that a badge is not a license to answer verbal insults with physical violence and excessive force,” Clarke said.
The FBI Detroit Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Warren Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit.
Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Detroit Field Office said the sentencing should serve as a “stark reminder” that the use of excessive force and deliberate false statements are not only criminal acts but also tarnishes the hard work and dedication of law enforcement officers who serve with integrity every day.
Smith filed a $50 million federal lawsuit against the city, Rodriguez, two other individuals and a “John Doe” about two weeks after the incident. The case is pending in front of U.S. District Judge Jonathan Grey, with a trial scheduled for January.