SAN ANTONIO – UPDATE -- This story now includes a statement from SeaWorld.
A former Bexar County Sheriff’s deputy who was fired after he was captured on camera assaulting an inmate in 2019 faces new criminal allegations after San Antonio police said he assaulted two people Sunday, including a 14-year-old boy, while working at SeaWorld.
Recommended Videos
Brandon Doege, 29, was arrested at the theme park Sunday around 10 p.m. and charged with felony injury to a child with the intent to cause bodily injury.
County booking records indicate Doege was working as a “scare character” at the far West Side theme park when the incident took place.
Sources familiar with Doege’s arrest said the ex-deputy was dressed in a pig mask and costume when he broke character, grabbed a 14-year-old boy around the neck and tossed him over his body, slamming him into the ground.
The teen complained of pain in his left arm and back.
Doege, when questioned by officers, claimed the boy said disrespectful things to him, causing Doege to break character and ask him to move, according to sources.
The suspect then approached the teen and slammed him to the ground.
Doege is also accused of punching a 53-year-old man in the face. The man, a relative of the teen, confronted Doege after witnessing him body slam the boy, preliminary information released Monday by SAPD shows.
The second victim had noticeable swelling to his face, sources said.
Doege was terminated by BCSO after video showed him assaulting an inmate at the Bexar County Jail in May 2019.
Investigators later determined Doege tampered with evidence from the assault when he intentionally turned off the body camera being worn by another deputy involved in the struggle.
Thirteen months later, in June 2020, Doege was indicted by a Bexar County grand jury on charges of tampering with evidence and official oppression.
Doege last December pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of abuse of official capacity.
He was given two years of probation and agreed to surrender his Texas peace officer’s license, Bexar County court records show.
Doege asked the court to end his probation early in a motion filed in late June.
The motion was denied by the court, however.
A SeaWorld spokesman released the following statement Monday afternoon:
“We take very seriously the safety of our guests, employees and animals and we do not tolerate any acts of violence in our parks. Unfortunately on Sunday one of our ‘scare character’ performers was involved in a physical altercation in our park with guests. We called police to the scene and the performer was arrested. This is now a matter for police and we have no further comment at this time.”
The park’s annual fear festival, Howl-O-Scream, runs on select nights through Oct. 30.