Officer Charged
DA files charges against former Salinas cop
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Monterey County District Attorney's Office announced today the filing of criminal charges against a former Salinas police officer for opening fire on an unarmed couple in February.
Christopher Swanson pulled over Adriana Velasquez and Julio Hernandez on Feb. 3 for a broken license plate light. When Hernandez was reaching for his wallet Officer Christopher Swanson thought he heard a pop and saw a muzzle flash, then fell to the ground saying he was shot, according to police. Both Swanson and Officer Steve Mattocks fired multiple rounds, remarkably not injuring anyone.
Swanson, who was fired after the incident, will be arraigned on a felony charge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner on Aug. 11. The DA's Office didn't file charges against Mattocks, who also was also cleared after pulling the trigger in the fatal shooting of Maria Irma De La Torre last July.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID