Seminole Tribe police officer fired after arrest on domestic violence charges

A now-former officer for the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s police department in Tampa is facing aggravated assault and other charges after he grabbed a woman by the neck, pointed a gun at her head and held her against her will in what deputies say is a domestic violence case, records show.

Hillsborough deputies arrested Seminole Police Department Officer Melvin Torres Jr. early Tuesday morning, about five hours after the incident, according to an arrest affidavit.

A spokesperson for the tribe said Thursday that Torres was fired after his arrest.

About 10:25 p.m. Monday, Torres entered a bedroom where the woman and her daughter were sleeping in a home on Blue Azure Drive in Wimauma, grabbed the woman by the back of the neck and forced her into the living room, the affidavit states.

As Torres and the woman argued, he pushed her onto a couch and held her down by pressing his knee and elbow into her torso. When the woman stood up, Torres grabbed her by the neck and lifted her about a foot off the ground, impeding her breathing, according to the affidavit.

Torres then retrieved a loaded Glock pistol from the kitchen and pointed the gun at the woman’s forehead. When the woman tried to flee through the front door, Torres grabbed her by the neck again and pulled her back into the home, the affidavit states.

Part of the incident was captured by the home’s doorbell camera.

A deputy noted the woman had red marks on her neck, a small cut on her ear, scrapes on her elbow and a bruise on her tailbone.

Torres was booked into the Orient Road Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery and false imprisonment. He remained in jail Thursday with bond set at $50,000, records show. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

Gary Bitner, a spokesperson for the Seminole Tribe, said Torres has been fired. Bitner did not have information about how long Torres had been employed by the department and said the tribe had no further comment.