SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Police Department suspended an officer after he physically and verbally abused a handcuffed suspect, according to records obtained by KSAT Investigates.
SAPD Officer Ralph Gomez Jr. served a 30-day suspension, which ended in June. City records show he’s been with the agency since 2002.
Gomez’s suspension is a result of an incident that happened in December 2024. Records indicate that he was assigned to assist in detaining and identifying individuals accused of trespassing on a building located on North Medina Street near West Martin Street.
SAPD arrested one of the male suspects after records show he had multiple outstanding warrants from the San Antonio Municipal Court.
The suspect, who was in handcuffs, asked the officer handling him for a break. Records show Gomez told the suspect to stop. The suspect responded to Gomez, saying he wasn’t talking to him.
Records state that Gomez violated department policy when he went up to the suspect and said several profanities.
“I’m f---ing talking to you, motherf-----,” Gomez said, according to the suspension paperwork. “OK? Alright? You say another word, and I’m gonna f------ hit you, dude. Shut the f--- up already. Stop being a little b----. That’s what it comes down to.”
The body-worn camera also showed Gomez grabbing the suspect’s hair and pulling him back, which records indicate made the suspect fall on the ground.
The suspect screamed, and records show Gomez told him to “shut the f--- up.”
During an administrative investigation of the incident, according to records, investigators learned Gomez failed to activate his body camera before interacting with people at the scene.
Gomez stopped recording before he was accused of physically assaulting and verbally abusing the suspect, records state.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
