Officer goes to wrong address and forcefully detains innocent man, Texas records show
A Texas police officer was suspended after disciplinary records show he went to the wrong residence and used “unnecessary” force to detain an innocent man.
Officer Bless C. Achor of the San Antonio Police Department was suspended without pay from Sept. 10-19 in response to the February incident, department suspension records show.
Achor and another officer responded Feb. 24 to a report from a woman who said her ex-boyfriend, whom she had a protective order against, had entered her garage, but she wasn’t sure if he was still in there, records show.
The officers ran a check on the ex-boyfriend and discovered he had an “active felony arrest warrant for repeated violation of a court order/bond condition,” as well as an active protective order against him, authorities said.
Led by Achor, officers approached the wrong residence and a man inside “who appeared to have been mistaken” for the suspect, records show.
“He’s the guy, get him!” Achor can be heard telling the other officers on body camera footage, according to suspension records.
Achor “kicked or tripped” the man, “causing (him) to land hard on the floor” before he was handcuffed, authorities said.
“The force used against him was unnecessary,” court records state, leaving the man with bruises on both biceps and a scrape on his knee.
Records state Achor “failed to be observant” and “attentive in his duties,” when he responded to the wrong address and used ”open/empty hands control techniques” to detain the wrong person.
Achor also failed to immediately report the incident, records show.
“After a thorough investigation by the SAPD Internal Affairs Office, the officer’s actions were found to be in violation of SAPD Policy and he was issued the suspension,” the San Antonio Police Information Officer told McClatchy News in a statement on Sept. 19.
McClatchy News was unable to locate contact information for Achor.
This story was originally published September 19, 2024 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Officer goes to wrong address and forcefully detains innocent man, Texas records show."
