Crime

Former Antioch police officer Matthew Nutt charged with assault

Updated on: June 15, 2023 / 7:23 AM PDT / CBS/Bay City News Service

A former Antioch police officer fired in April for violating the department's use of force policies was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor assault by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's office, according to an announcement issued Wednesday by the Antioch Police Department.

Matthew Nutt was terminated April 21 by the department, following an internal investigation of his involvement in an incident during a traffic stop July 1, 2022.

That internal review was presented to the district attorney's office, which charged Nutt with one misdemeanor count of assault by a public officer.

The incident occurred after Nutt performed a traffic stop on a male suspect who had an outstanding arrest warrant, according to the announcement. Nutt handcuffed the man, who subsequently refused to get in the back of the patrol car.

Police said Nutt then "used force against the arrestee, consisting of a series of punches and kicks, along with knee and elbow strikes."

Police Chief Steven Ford reviewed the internal investigation, which concluded that Nutt violated use-of-force policies using unreasonable force, failure to de-escalate and failure to use alternative tactics.

"Police officers are entrusted with the authority to use reasonable force to protect the public and themselves in the lawful performance of their duties," Ford said in the announcement. "This requires close supervision and evaluation to maintain public legitimacy and preserve the sanctity of human life. The Antioch Police Department is committed to accountability and full transparency - my hope is our community will see the actions of our personnel to investigate and bring this matter to my attention as an expression of their commitment to accountability and the core tenants of their oath. This unfortunate incident is not reflective of the women and men who serve our community - please join me in continuing to offer our support of their hard work."

The department also released documents of the investigation and video evidence of the incident. The announcement noted that redactions were made to these items in accordance with state laws governing the release of certain privileged and/or protected information.

The links provided include the following:

Nutt worked for Antioch Police for four years and had two years experience as an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department.

Nutt is also named as one of the officers who received some of the racist text messages that have rocked the department but is not accused of sending or responding to any of them.