Cops Behaving Badly
Dallas police officer gets canned for punching man during off-duty traffic stop
A Dallas police officer who was indicted for official oppression and assault has been fired from the department. Officer Rene Villanueva is accused of repeatedly punching a man during a traffic stop in November 2013. The incident was recorded on Villanueva's dash camera (skip to the 2-minute mark for the post-chase confrontation).
Around 2 am on the night in question, Villanueva was working off duty at a night club in the 400 block of South Buckner Boulevard when Ambrosio Monsavais sped through the parking lot. Instead of following proper felony stop protocol, Villanueva approached the vehicle alone, with his gun drawn, and proceeded to punch Monsavais as he sat in the driver's seat.
According to police, Villanueva holstered his weapon, threw two additional punches at Monsavais, and pulled the man out of his car and onto the ground. The officer continued to punch Monsavais while attempting to handcuff him. All of this was captured by dash-cam footage, including when another Dallas police officer arrived to assist with the arrest.
Villanueva had worked in the Northeast Patrol division since 2007. A Dallas County grand jury indicted him on charges of official oppression and assault on March 12. Dallas Police Chief David Brown terminated Villanueva on March 21.