Two Fort Worth Officers Investigated After Chase
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A driver led Fort Worth police officers on a slow-speed chase for more than two hours last week, and now two of those officers are under investigation for actions taken during the incident.
Sources confirmed that SWAT Officer Dennis Alise and Officer Brian Gentry have been demoted. Alise was transferred to uniform patrol, and Gentry had his badge and gun taken away following the chase.
The pursuit started with a drug bust, as police officers followed suspect Joe Gonzales around Fort Worth and Arlington, mostly along westbound Interstate-30 but occasionally onto side streets, parking lots, medians and the popular Lincoln Square shopping area.
"Fort Worth police officers have the best of intentions and utmost consideration for the public's safety while involved in a fluid situation such as a vehicle pursuit," the Fort Worth Police Department added in a statement. "Equally important are the policies and procedures that govern the actions of departmental personnel."
The 42-year-old suspect was driving a white Nissan sedan with tinted windows. He could be seen talking to police on a cell phone. The slow chase, for much of the time crawling at just 5 mph, attracted many onlookers. It ended when Alise rammed the back the suspect's vehicle with a FWPD SWAT truck, causing the Nissan to crash into a concrete barrier.
The Fort Worth Police Department said that Alise was not authorized to ram the suspect's car with his truck, known as a Bearcat. However, other officers have explained that, prior to the crash, a commander told pursuing officers, "You are authorized to use weapons."
The police department is questioning whether or not the Bearcat is considered to be a "weapon."
After the crash, Gonzales attempted to climb out of a window, but officers swarmed around him and brought him to the ground. The suspect was hurt as he was taken into custody, and treated by paramedics at the scene.
Gentry is accused of using excessive force during the police takedown, coming after Gonzales with the butt of a tear gas launcher. But the officer said that he was not striking the suspect. Gentry claims that Gonzales was trying to grab at the weapon as he fell from the car window, and Gentry was actually trying to pull the tear gas launcher away.
Another officer at the scene was pushing Gentry back, trying to get him and the weapon away from the suspect.
CBS11 had attorney and former police officer Pete Schulte look at the video. He's concerned about the possible excessive force and the explanation Gentry was trying to pull his tear gas launcher away.
"I don't see any of that on video and I think the police department is going to focus in on that and make sure the public knows that whatever was done there, was either done right or done incorrectly," said Schulte.
Poll: Should The Officers Have Been Disciplined?
The Fort Worth Police Department statement provided few other details. "This is an active and ongoing administrative investigation," the statement said, "therefore we cannot release any further details at this time."