Matthew Rodriguez, a former police officer with the Warren Police Department in Michigan, pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights offense for using excessive force against an arrestee.
According to court documents, on June 13, 2023, then-officer Rodriguez was fingerprinting and photographing an arrestee, identified as J.S., who had recently been brought to the Warren Police Department’s jail for processing.
After taking J.S.’s fingerprints, Rodriguez struck J.S. multiple times and slammed J.S.’s head against the floor, causing injury to J.S. When Rodriguez began to assault him, J.S. was not physically resisting Rodriguez and posed no immediate threat to anyone.
Rodriguez admitted during the plea hearing that he knew his use of force against J.S. was unreasonable and contrary to department policy. He also wrote a report in which he made false statements about the incident and omitted material information.
J.S. suffered bodily injury from the beating. The Warren Police Department publicly released footage of the assault in June 2023.
Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Detroit Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moran for the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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