NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade Police officer has come under fire after surveillance video allegedly showed him punching a handcuffed man in the face.
MDPD and the State Attorney’s Office are looking into the video of a man being arrested inside his home in the area of Northwest 28th Street and 25th Avenue, back on March 15.
Eighteen-year-old Brian Crespo’s home was raided after, police said, he had been planning to sell stolen airbags. The officers received a signed warrant to place him under arrest, but it’s what occurred shortly after that has officials launching a criminal investigation.
“We have a recording where this police officer punches him,” Crespo’s attorney Cam Cornish said, “He walked over and gave him a left hook for no reason, while he was helpless and tied behind his back.”
According to Cornish, the suspect is suing MDPD sergeant Manuel Regueiro who, published reports said, hit Crespo.
“He did it because he could,” Cornish said, “and he did it because he thought he was gonna get away with it, and he almost did, except it was recorded. They go to take the hard drive, so that nobody can see that video, but instead of taking the hard drive, these detectives ended up taking a lithium ion battery.”
The attorney is not only calling out the officer seen allegedly punching the suspect, but the officers around him as well.
“The non-reaction from the officers around the punch,” Cornish said. “If you look closely you see that none of them react, none of them kind of like jerk back, or nobody even says, ‘Hey, man, don’t punch this 18-year-old kid in the face.’”
Cornish said they plan to file a civil rights lawsuit against the officer, county and possibly the State of Florida.
Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez reacted to the incident Tuesday, saying that he ordered an immediate investigation and that Regueiro was immediately relieved of duty.
“When I look at that video, I get chills that run through my back when I see a veteran police officer, a veteran sergeant of this department act in that way,” said Perez.
Perez added that he is ashamed to be discussing this.
“I’ll be honest with you. I was disgusted by what I saw, extremely disturbed. What that video depicts does not represent the core values of this department,” he said.
Perez previously released a statement regarding the allegations:
“The actions depicted in the video are extremely disturbing and in no way represent the core values of our agency. That is why immediately upon learning of the video, we launched a criminal internal investigation into the matter in conjunction with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, which remains active and ongoing at this time. We hold ourselves accountable and any officers that violate the public’s trust will face the consequences of their actions.”
Crespo remains behind bars on theft and conspiracy charges.
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