SAPD: 'No procedural violations' by officer who hit 14-year-old during struggle

City says it cannot release footage of May 21 incident, citing state ruling

SAN ANTONIO -- – A San Antonio Police Department supervisor stated that no procedures were violated by an officer who repeatedly punched a 14-year-old girl during a melee outside an East Side event center in May, according to a Use of Force report obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders.

RELATED: Video shows San Antonio officer hitting 14-year-old girl during struggle

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Officer Gary Tuli wrote that he was forced to use "hands/arm" and "fist/punch" to gain compliance from 14-year-old A'Mynae Roberts while attempting to take her into custody outside the Crown Palace Event Center in the 4500 block of Walzem Road.

Video of the incident, which shows an officer repeatedly hitting Roberts, went viral and caused then Mayor Ivy Taylor to release a statement that she was monitoring the investigation.

CLICK: List of suspended SAPD officers

A city spokesperson said SAPD cannot release dash camera and body camera footage of the incident, citing a state attorney general's ruling last week that the videos are confidential because they depict a juvenile suspect.

Roberts, whose family said it planned to file a federal lawsuit against SAPD for excessive force, was charged with felony assault of a public servant.

Tuli stated in the report he suffered a bruise or abrasion on the left side of his face.

Roberts was uninjured during the incident, according to the report.

Artessia House, an attorney representing Roberts and her family, said via telephone Tuesday the city has offered to release body camera footage of the incident, but only after blurring the faces of minors or people they believe to be minors.

"I've been disappointed in how the internal affairs investigation has gone," said House, who described the city's offer as a "tampered version" of the evidence.

 


About the Author

Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year.

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