SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio police officer was suspended after throwing his flashlight at cars while working the scene of a crash, according to disciplinary records obtained by KSAT 12 News.
Officer Reuben Ramirez received a 30-day suspension in January for his actions on Aug. 21, 2019, when he was working a crash in the 4900 block of East Houston Street.
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First, Ramirez threw his flashlight at a Chevy Avalanche pickup because the driver failed to follow his directions, according to the suspension document. Ramirez also reprimanded the driver and accused him of being intoxicated before letting him drive away.
Later, Ramirez threw his flashlight a second time, striking a Ford Escape that had also failed to follow his directions. The flashlight damaged the car’s windshield, according to the document, and Ramirez reprimanded the woman before letting her drive away.
When the woman returned to complain about the damage Ramirez caused, he wrote her a traffic citation, according to the suspension document. Ramirez’s actions resulted in a criminal case against him that was filed in municipal court.
“Officer Ramirez’s actions leading to the filing of a criminal case against him did not conform to the ordinary and reasonable rules of good conduct and behavior,” according to the suspension document. Ramirez’s suspension ran from Jan. 25 until Feb. 23, records show.
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Ramirez was one of eight officers suspended in January, according to the suspension records.
- Officer Robert Uridiales was suspended for one day after negligently striking a vehicle with his patrol car in the 600 block of Culebra Road.
- Detective Mark Garza was suspended for three days after he failed to relay suspect information into the case management narrative.
- Officer Michael Blanquiz was suspended for five days after failing “to respond without delay” to a call about two children locked in a vehicle. Blanquiz also incorrectly classified the call and did not write an offense report related to the incident. Blanquiz was also cited for failing to properly collect evidence and document his actions while investigating an unrelated lewd conduct incident.
- Officer Jose Portillo was suspended for one day after his involvement in a crash in the 7700 block of W. Military Drive. Portillo was cited for failing to activate his dashboard and body worn cameras.
- Officer Juan Torres was suspended for three days after failing to a complete a crash report. He failed to obtain information from the drivers and failed to check the licenses of the drivers involved. He was also cited for failing to start his body worn camera at the beginning of the call.
- Detective Robert Larios Jr. was suspended for one day after he failed to use his body worn camera while responding to an alarm call. Larios also disregarded a red light and parked in a handicapped parking spot while on the alarm call.
- Detective Christopher Queen was suspended for one day after he negligently struck a vehicle in the 2800 block of W. Martin Street.