The officers were at the scene to arrest a suspect with active felony warrants, but ended up at the wrong house.
SAN ANTONIO — An officer with the San Antonio Police Department was suspended after records show he detained the wrong suspect while using “unnecessary” force, violating department police, records show.
On Feb. 24, a woman called SAPD to report that her ex-boyfriend, whom she has a protective order against, had entered her garage earlier that evening. She didn’t know if he was still there or not, and officers were dispatched to check.
Before arriving to the scene, Officer Bless Achor looked into the ex-boyfriend’s criminal record and discovered that he had an active felony arrest warrant. When he and two other officers arrived on the scene, records say, body camera footage showed Achor yelling “He’s the guy, get him!” after mistakenly walking up to the wrong residence.
Police suspension records say Achor then proceeded to push the man he thought was the suspect into his residence and “kicked or tripped him, causing (the man) to land hard on the floor in order to detain him with handcuffs.” The man sustained some bruises and scrapes as a result.
The officers later learned they were at the wrong residence before releasing the wrongfully detained individual.
Records show Achor “failed to be attentive or observant in his duties” and say he didn’t report the incident right away. The records go on to say Achor failed to document the techniques he used while detaining the victim.
Achor originally received a 15-day suspension which was reduced to a 10-day suspension without pay after he appealed.