A police officer in Warren, Michigan was charged with assault on Tuesday after video showed him punching a 19-year-old Black male in the face, pulling his hair, and slamming him into the ground. Thanks to his peers stepping up to report the incident, charges have been filed.
The video shows Officer Matthew Rodriguez, 48, and the 19-year-old exchange words as he was being processed into the jail on June 13. It is unclear what words were being exchanged, but as Rodriguez stood up to grab paperwork off of the printer he punched the male in his face. He picked the teen up and slammed him to the ground.
Rodriguez then grabbed the male by his locs and mushed his head into the floor before two other officers quickly intervened. The officers pulled the male up and Rodriguez threw him into a jail cell.
