EMS was not called to the scene and the victim was not medically treated until almost an hour and a half after the assault, according to police records.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Police Department suspended Officer Eloy E. Cuellar Jr. after bodycam footage showed the officer punch a suspect in the face six times while also being verbally abusive during the arrest, according to police records.
On March 1, Cuellar was working bike patrol in the 800 block of North Alamo Street as violent crimes at several bars along that street have been on the rise, SAPD said.
Cuellar and several other officers approached a man to arrest him for public intoxication.
Authorities say bodycam footage shows the suspect resist arrest before he was taken to the ground. During the struggle, SAPD said Cuellar struck the suspect six times in the face with a “closed fist” while being heard saying, “Shit up b***h… shut the f**k up!”
After the now victim was placed in handcuffs and laying face down on the ground, records state he tried to turn on his back when Cuellar denied his movement and said, “Nobody told you to turn around b***h!”
Around 2:25 a.m., Cuellar’s bodycam caught him say the victim “is ours” when speaking to another officer, taking responsibility for the prisoner, records show.
EMS was not called to the scene and the victim was taken straight to the Magistrate’s Office in a patrol unit. Upon arrival, records show the victim requested medical attention and was not seen by medical professionals until approximately 3:46 a.m., almost an hour and a half after the assault took place.
Cuellar officially began his suspension on Aug. 24 and was reinstated on Sept. 7.