Two San Antonio police officers suspended over use-of-force allegations

Two San Antonio police officers were temporarily suspended without pay this month over allegations they used unnecessary force during separate arrests, disciplinary records show.

Officer Steven Elderkin received a 15-day suspension after an internal review found that he used a leg sweep against a handcuffed suspect, causing him to fall forward. What's more, Elderkin used "unnecessary and/or unreasonable force" when he appeared to cause a suspect to strike his head on the patrol car during his arrest, disciplinary documents show.

In a separate incident, Officer Domingo Rios III received a 12-day suspension over allegations that he repeatedly punched a suspect's face after the man spat on him. Rios — who was restrained by other SAPD personnel after striking the man — used "unnecessary physical violence" in dealing with the situation, disciplinary records state.

The allegations against Elderkin stem from a Dec. 7 search for shooting suspects who reportedly ran through an apartment complex on the 9600 block of Bandera Road.

Body-cam footage accessed during an internal review showed Elderkin leg sweep a captured suspect while holding the man by his handcuffed wrists, according to city disciplinary records.

The camera also allegedly showed the officer hold the handcuffed suspect's arms upward while approaching the patrol car and say, "Watch your head, bro!" The suspect then shouted that he'd struck his head, according to a description of the footage in the SAPD report.

Elderkin began his suspension Sept. 8 and will complete it Sept. 22, according to city paperwork.

The altercation prompting Rios' suspension took place March 9 at the Bexar County Magistrate's Office after a suspect refused to allow his blood to be drawn, SAPD paperwork shows.

During the struggle to restrain the suspect, the man spat in Rios' face, and the officer responded by delivering "closed fist strikes" to the suspect's face. The other officers helping restrain the suspect removed Rios from the room to stop him from continuing to strike the man.

Rios' suspension began Sept. 4 and ran through Sept. 15, city documents show.

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