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Fort Worth police officer’s attorneys claim 2016 incident is to blame for recent arrest

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 18:09:01 +0000

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fort Worth Police Officer William Martin arrested

Fort Worth police say Martin did a “jail walkthrough” on Friday, meaning he walked in with his attorney to turn himself in, was fingerprinted, posted bond and walked out. He did not spend any time detained.

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Fort Worth police officer who was arrested after an off-duty shooting says he was doing his duty when he chased a driver who hit his car.

Fort Worth police arrested Officer William Martin on Friday and charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Martin was leaving work in his Honda Accord on September 3, when he says he was hit by a Ford F-150.

He then chased the driver as he talked with 911.

In a sworn affidavit provided to FOX 4 by his legal team, Martin claims he eventually boxed the driver in and the truck rammed his car.

He says he got out of his vehicle, pointed his gun at the truck and demanded that the driver get out.

When he heard the truck’s engine rev and move forward, he opened fire.

“I believe then, as I believe now, that the driver would have run over me if I had not taken defensive action,” Martin wrote in his affidavit.

While Martin says he intended to identify himself as an officer, it’s not clear in the statement if he ever did.

The driver of the truck, later identified as Samuel Christopher, was struck multiple times but survived.

Christopher’s attorneys tell FOX 4 he was “unarmed” and that he’s cooperating with law enforcement related to the investigation.

Martin’s attorneys also say that their client is cooperating with the police investigation, but that his past is getting in the way of the investigation.

“Once it was leaked (by who?) to the media that the events of September 3, 2024 involved the same officer as was involved in the ‘Jackie Craig’ case, it is our belief that, no matter the objective facts of September 3, 2024, the arrest of Officer Martin was a foregone conclusion,” wrote P. Michael Schneider, Martin’s attorney.

Martin was released on bond after his arrest on Friday.

He is currently on “detached duty” from the Fort Worth Police Department pending an Internal Affairs investigation into the incident.

Jacqueline Craig Arrest

Martin, who has worked for the Fort Worth Police Department for 19 years, received a 10-day suspension for a high-profile arrest in 2016.

Jacqueline Craig and her daughter complained that Martin used excessive force on them after Craig called police to complain about her neighbor.

Video showed Martin wrestling Craig and one of her daughters to the ground. The incident was released online and caught attention nationwide.

The Craig family sued Martin saying the force used in the arrest was unconstitutionally excessive, but a panel of judges on Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Martin, overruling a district court.

Craig’s family later settled a lawsuit with the city for $150,000.

Martin appealed his suspension in the case, but the appeal was denied.

The Source

Information in this article comes from a press release and sworn affidavit from William Martin and his attorneys, Fort Worth Police, court records and past FOX 4 media coverage.

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OC DA Spitzer slams Gascón for ruling out death penalty against alleged cop killer

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 14:42:42 +0000

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: LASD deputy shot in patrol car

A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy was shot while on duty in their patrol car outside the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station. The deputy was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – Orange County District attorney Todd Spitzer released a statement in response to Los Angeles District attorney George Gascón’s announcement of charges in the killing of LA County Sheriff’s Department deputy, who was slain in Palmdale on Saturday, Sept. 16.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 20, Gascón announced that he would seek the “maximum penalty allowable under the law” for Kevin Salazar, the man suspected of killing Clinkunbroomer. Gascón, who charged Salazar with one count of murder, vowed to seek “life without the possibility of parole” during Wednesday’s press conference.

Spitzer said that Gascón’s statement was a “lie,” in his response posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday, Sept. 21.

“The death penalty still exists in California – no matter how much George Gascón and Gov. Gavin Newsom want to pretend it doesn’t,” said Spitzer in his statement. “In fact, California law allows the death penalty to be sought if a police officer is murdered.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suspect arrested in LASD deputy’s killing

Kevin Salazar was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in Palmdale. Officials said they want Salazar prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, while his family said he was mentally ill.

The OC district attorney went on to say that Gascón had already decided that “the deputy’s death wasn’t worth going through the special circumstances analysis,” a process by which officials decide whether a suspect should receive the death penalty or life without parole.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Gascón: Ryan Clinkunbroomer was a superstar deputy

Los Angeles County District attorney George Gascón spoke on the death of deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, who was believed to be shot execution-style.

By doing so, Spitzer said that Gascón “cares about sparing the life of the executioner,” more than the “newly engaged lawman” who was left “bleeding to death behind the steering wheel.”

Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was shot and killed Saturday, Sept. 16, after a vehicle approached his patrol car near the Palmdale Station, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Surveillance video from the scene appeared to show a black vehicle pull up alongside the patrol car. No shots are visible, but the car is seen speeding away while the deputy’s cruiser rolls slightly forward before coming to a stop.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ryan Clinkunbroomer’s fiance reacts to shooting

Brittany Lindsey, the grieving fiance of Ryan Clinkunbroomer, speaks on the shooting that killed her would-be husband.

After a good Samaritan found Clinkunbroomer unconscious in his patrol car, he was rushed to Antelope Valley Medical Center in Lancaster, where he later died.

The suspect, later identified as Salazar, was arrested Monday morning after a standoff with authorities at the home he shared with his family in Palmdale, according to authorities.

“While law enforcement officers across the nation grieve the loss of yet another officer murdered in the line of duty,” said Spitzer, “They too must cope with the knowledge that justice for the men and women behind the badge is nowhere to be found the Los Angeles County Hall of Justice – as long as George Gascón is the district attorney.”

The post OC DA Spitzer slams Gascón for ruling out death penalty against alleged cop killer appeared first on Attorney Legal Counsel.