San Antonio police officer under investigation has prior complaints, poor evaluation

Park Police Officer Michael Ramirez is being investigated by the SAPD for using what appears to be a banned choke hold for two minutes on an unarmed 16-year-old. Park Police Officer Michael Ramirez is being investigated by the SAPD for using what appears to be a banned choke hold for two minutes on an unarmed 16-year-old. Photo: Screenshots Of Video Photo: Screenshots Of Video Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close San Antonio police officer under investigation has prior complaints, poor evaluation 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO -- A San Antonio Park Police officer under investigation by the department for a May incident that left an unarmed 16-year-old hospitalized had two complaints filed against him last year for "threatening" conduct, and received poor grades on his internal evaluation, documents show.

Officer Michael Ramirez did not meet department expectations in a 2012 internal evaluation and was given the next-to-lowest rating – a 4 out of 5 – for his performances, according to records obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.

Ramirez, who has been with the Park Police for two years, was investigated by the agency for two incidents last year that made complainants feel "fearful," including one in which Ramirez tracked down a truck driver while off duty. Ramirez, who was in full uniform in his personal vehicle, threatened to arrest the driver, according to the records.

Ramirez currently is under investigation for a May 4 incident in which he appears to use a choke hold, a controversial maneuver that has been eliminated from use for more than a decade, on a teenager the officer suspected of smoking a joint. A two-minute struggle between Ramirez and the teen was captured via cellphone video. The teen, whose face was bloodied during the May 4 incident, was treated for injuries at Children's Hospital of San Antonio.

Ramirez remains on patrol while Park Police investigate, said spokeswoman Sandy Gutierrez, who declined additional comment on Ramirez's evaluation and complaints. The department also refused to provide a photo of Ramirez or contact information.

In November, the Park Police "sustained" a complaint against Ramirez for the incident involving the truck driver. That incident began when a woman, whose relationship with Ramirez is redacted in the records, contacted the Park Police officer after she said a driver of an 18-wheeler ran her off the road.

She followed the driver to a car wash and Ramirez arrived in uniform and demanded the driver's credentials and threatened to arrest him and seize his vehicle, the report, which you can read here, said.

Christopher Valdez, a the 25-year-old Von Ormy truck driver, said Ramirez used threatening language and "kept his hand on his gun" during the entire incident.

"I got the feeling he wanted to pick a fight,"Valdez told the Express-News. "I think (Ramirez) is taking advantage of his authority and should be fired."

Valdez contacted SAPD after Ramirez left the scene because he felt "fearful," according to the report. He told the Express-News that SAPD said they had no record of Ramirez being called to the scene and that if he was approached by Ramirez again to "not provide any more information and call 911 immediately."

The Park Police supervisor recommended "verbal counseling" for Ramirez after that event, according to the records.

A February 2013 complaint, filed against Ramirez and three other officers, claims the officers, while citing a man who "was attempting to sell chocolate candies to raise money for his daughter" made him "feel threatened and fear for his safety," according to records.

"The four listed officers began yelling at him, confronted him then placed him in (hand)cuffs and began laughing and cursing at him" said the claimant, who was cited for two city ordinance violations including peddling and possession of a lockblade knife, according to the report.

The complaint was ruled inconclusive by the San Antonio Park Police.

Ramirez's evaluation was conducted in December 2012.

On four of the five categories, including knowledge of rules, ordinances and laws, written reports, customer service and the flood control system, and the overall evaluation, Ramirez received the poor 4 out of 5 rating. Ramirez received an "achieves expectations" rating, or a 3 out of 5, on the Park Police Training Academy category.

A supervisor wrote that Ramirez "did very well throughout his Academy and the FTO Program" and "I believe he has proven himself as a valuable asset to the Division."

kparker@express-news.net

Twitter: @KoltenParker