A Detroit-area officer who assaulted a black man after an arrest has pleaded guilty

WARREN, MI — A suburban Detroit police officer who punched a young black man in the face and slammed his head into the ground pleaded guilty Monday to a federal civil rights violation.

Matthew Rodriguez acknowledged using “unreasonable force” on the 19-year-old man when he processed him in the Warren jail fingerprint room in June. He also admitted making false statements about the incident.

Jaquwan Smith “did not physically resist arrest or attempt to escape,” according to Rodriguez’s plea agreement.

Rodriguez was fired by the Warren Police Department, which released video of the incident over the summer. William Dwyer, then the police commissioner, said: “This is not what we do.”

Rodriguez’s actions in this case were shocking and blatantly violated the standards of conduct we expect from all sworn law enforcement officers, U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said Monday.

He will appear in court on August 20. The maximum penalty is ten years in prison.