FWPD SWAT Officer Reinstated After Slow-Speed Chase Investigation
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Fort Worth Police Department SWAT Officer Brian Gentry has been reinstated.
Officer Gentry was demoted and had his badge and gun taken away after an incident involving a driver who led Fort Worth police officers on a slow-speed chase for more than two hours late last month.
Gentry was accused of using excessive force during the police takedown of suspect Joe Gonzales, allegedly going after Gonzales with the butt of a tear gas launcher.
Gentry always maintained that he was not striking the suspect and Gonzales was trying to grab at the weapon as he fell from the car window. Officer Gentry said he was actually trying to pull the tear gas launcher away.
Officer Gentry was reinstated after an internal investigation was completed. Fort Worth police released as statement saying -
"The investigation into the vehicle pursuit is still ongoing however, the preliminary investigation found that there was no excessive use-of-force by any officer involved. As a result of the investigation, Officer Gentry has been taken off of restricted duty status and placed back with his unit."
The Fort Worth Police Officer's Association was one of the first to announce Gentry's return. A statement on their website said, in part:
"The FWPOA and CLEAT are proud to announce that SWAT Officer Brian Gentry has been reinstated and will return to the SWAT Team effective Monday, June 8, 2015."
A second officer, Dennis Alise, who performed a pit maneuver on the suspect vehicle is still under investigation by internal affairs. For now, he remains reassigned to uniform patrol.
At a news conference Thursday, the officers union admonished the department for not standing behind its officers.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)