Officer Who Pepper-Sprayed Bikers Is Back On Patrol

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A Fort Worth police officer is back on patrol, three months after pepper-spraying motorcyclists along U.S. 287 near I-35W.

The internal investigation into Officer William Figueroa is finished and the department says it's now up to his bosses to decide if he'll be disciplined.

But for the first time since March, he's back on patrol.

In police documents requested by CBS11, Officer Figueroa explained during a traffic stop, "While attempting to make contact with the driver, multiple motorcycles would not vacate the lane closest to my marked patrol car. I deployed my pepper spray into the lane closest to me at which point approaching motorcycles began to vacate the lane allowing me to conduct a traffic stop."

Figueroa also said that some of the people in the car he pulled over were also exposed to the pepper spray.

The Fort Worth Police Department removed Figueroa from uniformed patrol and launched the administrative investigation after seeing video that appeared to show him using pepper spray on the bikers.

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• Fort Worth Police Department