Florida cop who shoved a suspect off of a roof gets penalty: One less vacation day
A Kissimmee, Florida, police officer who pushed a suspect off of a roof in March has now received his punishment from the department: An eight-hour suspension from the force, which he fulfilled by forfeiting a vacation day.
Officer Plenio Massiah and Sgt. Anthony Amada were among the several officers who responded to a call about a stolen car, CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG reports. A woman called the cops alleging her ex-boyfriend, Yadiel Torres, took her car during an argument, according to a police report on the incident.
The woman said Torres was known to be armed, and when officers arrived at the scene, Torres fled his home. He climbed out of a window and onto the roof, where Massiah followed him.
Massiah told Torres to put his hands up and as he was about to cuff him, Torres ran. Body camera footage shows Torres sitting on the the roof, dangling his legs over the side. Officers looked up at him from the ground below.
In the body camera footage, Massiah is heard telling Torres he has no choice but to jump. Torres said he was not going anywhere. Then, an officer below tells Massiah to "just push him off."
"Push him off," Sgt. Amada is heard saying.
Massiah took the suggestion, putting his hand on Torres' shoulder and shoving him off the 9-foot high roof onto the ground. Amada and another officer were waiting on the ground below, and records show Amada used a taser on Torres.
"I'm down. I'm not resisting," Torres is heard saying as the taser was deployed. The suspect was not injured in the incident, which was made public with the recent release of the body camera footage.
After after a nearly eight-month investigation, Massiah was found to have violated the use of force policy. He was issued an eight-hour suspension. He fulfilled this by forfeiting a vacation day, WKMG reports.
Amada was also found to have violated policies regarding force and carelessness and it was recommended he be terminated. He resigned in June, according to the station.
