Las Cruces Police Officers Accused of Excessive Force Have Been Fired

The two Las Cruces Officers involved in the beating of a man last December inside a holding cell at the Las Cruces Police Department have been fired from the force following an internal investigation that looked into their conduct.

“The allegations against [Richard P. Garcia and Danny Salcido] were reviewed and it was found that these officers violated internal policies and procedures which warranted their discharge from employment with the Las Cruces Police Department,” said LCPD Chief Jaime Montoya in a statement released to the media.

Montoya initially placed Garcia and Salcido on administrative leave with pay on March 4, ten days after results of the internal investigation had been handed over to him, before he officially terminated them on Tuesday, May 18. The incident in question involved Ross Flynn, who was being booked on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault on a police officer and resisting or obstructing a police officer.

Flynn, who suffered a skull fracture while in custody, is suing the city. The officers maintained he would not comply with their commands and that his injuries were a result of him resisting.

Surveillance camera footage of the incident, which happened December 23, 2014, can be viewed above. A much longer version can be viewed HERE.