In 2024, the Brownsville Police Department disciplined at least 15 officers and supervisors for misconduct ranging from preventable accidents to excessive force, poor judgment calls, and administrative failures. While most punishments were limited to short unpaid suspensions—often just one to three days—the department’s practice of formally documenting and disclosing such discipline sets it apart from many Texas law enforcement agencies governed by Civil Service protections under Local Government Code Chapter 143.

The department’s use of formal suspensions, rather than internal reprimands or undisclosed counseling, means these incidents are public. That’s not always the case elsewhere in Texas, where agencies often sidestep public accountability by issuing written reprimands not classified as formal discipline under the law. Brownsville’s strategy, while modest in severity, contributes to a higher level of transparency and allows the public to see how the agency responds when officers fall short.

Here is a breakdown of each disciplinary case from 2024 released to The Hawk’s Eye:

Brownsville Officers Disciplined After Mishandled Welfare Check Ends in Officer Being Shot

A routine welfare check at a Brownsville residence quickly turned into a near-fatal encounter when an officer was shot in the chest after two responding officers failed to follow basic protocols, according to internal findings by the Brownsville Police Department. Both officers—Manuela Ruiz and Luis Perez—were formally disciplined for their roles in the incident.

The call occurred on the night of May 8, 2024, when Officer Manuela Ruiz responded to a report of an open garage door at a residence. A concerned neighbor had called it in. Ruiz arrived around 10:02 PM and parked her marked patrol unit in front of the home. Despite the active call, she failed to activate her body-worn camera. She then approached the front door, knocked several times, and even knocked on the windows, but never identified herself as a police officer.

When no one responded, Ruiz entered the open garage alone, without notifying dispatch or waiting for backup—two steps required under departmental policy. Inside the garage, she checked the doorknob on the door leading into the home. Though it was unlocked, she did not go inside. Instead, she ran a license plate check on a vehicle parked in the garage and confirmed the vehicle was registered to the address.

Shortly after Ruiz arrived, Officer Luis Perez responded to the scene. Ruiz briefed him on the unsecured door inside the garage, and Perez questioned whether the engine of the parked vehicle was warm. Perez then walked to the front door of the house, illuminating the entryway with his flashlight. Like Ruiz, he knocked on the front door and rang the doorbell, but also failed to announce himself as law enforcement.

When no one answered, Perez and Ruiz again entered the garage. Neither officer cleared the radio for emergency traffic. As they stood inside the garage near the interior door, Perez instructed Ruiz to check with dispatch for prior call history at the location. He then knocked on the door again, turned the doorknob, and opened it—all without announcing that they were police.

As the door opened, a gunshot rang out. Perez was struck in the chest but survived thanks to his ballistic vest. Both officers retreated from the garage under continued gunfire and began shouting that they were with the Brownsville Police Department.

Moments later, an unarmed and visibly confused man exited the garage. Officers drew their weapons, ordered him to the ground, and took him into custody without further incident. The man later told police that he did not know the people entering his garage were officers.

The department’s internal investigation concluded that both officers failed to follow critical procedures and that those failures directly contributed to the escalation of the encounter. Ruiz was faulted for failing to activate her body camera, failing to wait for backup, and failing to identify herself as law enforcement. Perez was faulted for similar lapses, including failure to announce, failure to clear the radio channel for emergency traffic, and entering the home without tactical precautions in place.

Officer Manuela Ruiz accepted responsibility and agreed to a one-day suspension without pay. The suspension was served from July 1 to July 2, 2024. She waived her right to appeal under the department’s collective bargaining agreement with the Brownsville Police Officers Association.

Officer Luis Perez, who was injured during the encounter, was also disciplined for his role. He served a one-day suspension without pay on June 10, 2024, and likewise waived his right to appeal.

Two Brownsville Officers Disciplined After Mentally Ill Man Steals Ambulance, Drives Into Mexico

Two Brownsville police officers were each suspended for three days after failing to intervene or respond appropriately when a mentally unstable man stole an ambulance and drove it across the international border into Mexico.

The incident occurred on the morning of August 4, 2024, at the Whataburger located at 2021 International Boulevard, where a panic alarm had been triggered due to a disturbance inside the restaurant. Officers Erica Cruz and Liliana De La Garza were dispatched and arrived on scene shortly after 7:15 a.m.

Upon arrival, Officer Cruz made contact with the restaurant manager, who reported that a male customer was yelling at other patrons and needed to be removed. The man, later determined to be homeless, was described as wearing a blue T-shirt and plaid boxer shorts. Officer De La Garza arrived moments later as backup.

According to official reports, the officers quickly determined that the man may have been suffering from a mental health crisis and possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They decided to contact the department’s Mental Health Officer for assistance and called for Brownsville EMS after the man began groaning and clutching his abdomen, saying he needed medical help.

Brownsville EMS responded to the scene and attempted to assess the man. He was escorted to the ambulance but continued behaving erratically—shouting, leaning off the stretcher, and claiming that federal agents had killed his brother. EMS personnel soon determined it was unsafe to transport him due to his instability and told officers that he might attempt to flee.

Despite the warning, neither Officer Cruz nor Officer De La Garza took any action to restrain or monitor the man closely. At approximately 7:38 a.m., in full view of both officers, the man stood up, walked to the front passenger door of the ambulance, got in, and locked himself inside. He then moved into the driver’s seat and drove away from the scene at a high rate of speed.

The officers again failed to act, and according to the department’s findings, showed no sense of urgency as the man fled. Moments later, the stolen City of Brownsville ambulance crossed the Gateway International Bridge into Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

The internal investigation concluded that both officers violated department policies by failing to prevent the theft, failing to restrain or monitor the subject, and failing to pursue him or notify dispatch with the urgency the situation demanded.

Both Officer Cruz and Officer De La Garza accepted responsibility and agreed to three-day suspensions without pay. Neither officer contested the findings or appealed the discipline. Their suspensions were served from August 19 to August 21, 2024, pursuant to Article 43, Section 11 of the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Brownsville and the Brownsville Police Officers Association.

The bizarre and troubling incident raises serious questions about training, judgment, and crisis intervention tactics. Still, the department’s decision to formally discipline and publicly document the incident stands in contrast to other Texas agencies that often resolve such events through nondisciplinary counseling, which is shielded from public view under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 143.

Brownsville Officer Disciplined After Use of Force During High-Risk Arrest Deemed Excessive

A Brownsville police officer has been suspended after an internal investigation determined he used excessive force during a high-risk arrest following a vehicle pursuit in March 2024. Officer Jesus Ibarra received a three-day unpaid suspension for his conduct during the takedown and arrest of a non-compliant driver.

The incident occurred around 2:00 a.m. on March 24, 2024, after officers pursued a vehicle that eventually stopped in the 4500 block of South Padre Island Highway. Officers, including Ibarra, conducted a high-risk traffic stop, drawing their weapons and issuing verbal commands to the driver, who initially refused to comply. Instead, the man remained in his vehicle, shouting profanities and daring officers to approach.

Eventually, the driver exited his vehicle, continued shouting, and walked toward officers with his hands raised. Officer Ibarra, positioned at the rear of his patrol unit, had deployed his department-issued SWAT rifle, which he then returned to the back of his unit—leaving the vehicle unsecured and the rifle unattended with the hatch open.

Ibarra then ran toward the suspect and tackled him, causing the man to land on his back. Four additional officers joined the effort to restrain the man, who began resisting arrest by stiffening his arms and body. As officers struggled to subdue him, Ibarra delivered three closed-fist strikes to the right side of the man’s face. Once the suspect was turned onto his stomach, Ibarra grabbed the man’s head, pinned it to the ground, and struck him two more times on the same side of his face.

The suspect was eventually placed in handcuffs. The strikes administered by Ibarra caused a visible laceration near the man’s eye, and blood was present on his face.

According to the department’s findings, Ibarra failed to give any verbal commands before using force and did not attempt standard arrest or control tactics prior to the strikes. Investigators concluded that the level of force was excessive—particularly given that multiple officers were already on scene and actively restraining the suspect.

In addition to the unnecessary force, Ibarra also failed to request immediate medical attention for the injured suspect. Instead, he escorted the man to a patrol unit to be transported to the City Jail.

The department sustained multiple violations against Ibarra, including excessive use of force, failure to follow proper arrest procedures, and failure to secure department-issued equipment.

Ibarra accepted responsibility for the violations and agreed to a three-day suspension without pay, served across three shifts between April 19 and April 26, 2024. He waived his right to appeal the discipline under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Brownsville and the Brownsville Police Officers Association.

Brownsville Officer Disciplined for Placing Knee on Inmate’s Neck in City Jail Incident

Brownsville Police Officer Jesus Ibarra was formally disciplined for the second time in 2024 after placing his knee on the neck of a restrained inmate during a use-of-force incident at the Brownsville City Jail. The encounter, which took place on the morning of September 3, 2024, resulted in a three-day unpaid suspension for Ibarra and renewed concerns over repeated violations of departmental policy.

The incident began at approximately 8:44 a.m., when jail personnel requested help removing the handcuffs from a non-compliant inmate being held in the jail’s padded cell. Officer Ibarra, who was acting as the municipal court bailiff at the time, was the first to respond. Upon entering the padded cell with detention staff, Ibarra attempted to gain physical control of the inmate, who was refusing to cooperate with the removal process.

At around 8:45:32 a.m., Officer Ibarra pulled the inmate down and laid him on the padded floor. In an attempt to restrain him, Ibarra placed his right knee on the inmate’s neck area. Body camera footage and witness accounts documented that while Ibarra applied pressure to the inmate’s neck, the man was heard gasping for air, clearly struggling to breathe.

Rather than transitioning to a safer restraint method, Ibarra maintained pressure for nearly a full minute. At 8:46:14, Ibarra briefly repositioned but continued attempting to control the inmate by holding him down. It wasn’t until 8:46:39 a.m. that Ibarra finally removed his knee from the inmate’s neck entirely and told him to “relax.”

Just over two minutes later, additional jail staff entered the cell to assist with removing the handcuffs. During the attempt, the handcuff key broke off inside the lock, delaying removal further. The situation was finally resolved at 8:55:02 a.m., when the handcuffs were removed and all personnel exited the cell.

While no life-threatening injuries were reported, the incident prompted an internal review due to the dangerous nature of the restraint used and the inmate’s documented breathing distress. The department found that Officer Ibarra violated departmental policy, the Texas Local Government Code, and the City of Brownsville Employee Handbook by applying pressure to a restrained person’s neck—a tactic widely criticized in law enforcement practices, particularly in the wake of high-profile national cases.

Department officials also noted that Ibarra failed to request medical attention for the inmate, despite clear indications of distress. Instead, he proceeded to escort the individual back to general custody after the handcuffs were finally removed.

As part of a disciplinary agreement, Ibarra accepted a three-day suspension without pay. The suspension was served in shifts on October 9, October 10, and October 15, 2024, and he waived his right to appeal under the terms of the department’s collective bargaining agreement.

This marked Ibarra’s second suspension in 2024. In March, he was previously disciplined for excessive use of force during a high-risk arrest following a vehicle pursuit, where he delivered multiple closed-fist strikes to a suspect’s face while other officers were already attempting to restrain him.

Brownsville Officer Suspended After Misidentification Leads to Wrongful Arrest

A Brownsville police officer was suspended after a misidentification during a criminal investigation led to the arrest of an innocent man. The officer secured a warrant without properly verifying the suspect’s identity, resulting in the wrongful detention of a person who had no connection to the alleged offense.

The incident began on December 14, 2023, when Brownsville patrol officers arrested a man based on a warrant obtained by Detective Julian Ramirez. The man was released the next day on a personal recognizance bond but returned to the police station on December 28 to dispute the charges. He told another detective that he had been misidentified and was not the individual involved in the crime.

Detective Ramirez reviewed the recorded interview and compared the man’s appearance to the video and photo evidence provided by the victim. After conducting the comparison, he concluded that the man who had been arrested was not the correct suspect. Ramirez immediately informed his supervisor and initiated the process to have the charges dismissed.

The charges were formally dropped on January 18, 2024. However, an internal review determined that Ramirez failed to verify the suspect’s identity before seeking the arrest warrant, a step that should have prevented the wrongful arrest altogether.

As a result, Detective Ramirez accepted a one-day suspension without pay, which he served on February 12, 2024. He also waived his right to appeal under the terms of the department’s collective bargaining agreement. In addition to the suspension, Ramirez was placed on notice that any future similar misconduct could result in more serious disciplinary action, including termination.

Brownsville Officer Disciplined After Failing to Locate Firearm During Arrest

A Brownsville police officer received a suspension after failing to locate a loaded firearm during a routine arrest, only for the weapon to be discovered later during the jail booking process. The oversight raised serious concerns about officer safety and proper search procedures during custodial arrests.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours of December 8, 2024, when Officer Alejandro Guerra responded to a disturbance call at DK’s Sports Bar, located at 1655 E. Ruben M. Torres Boulevard. Dispatch had advised that an intoxicated male was banging on the windows of the business.

Upon arrival at approximately 3:30 a.m., Officer Guerra located a man in the parking lot matching the caller’s description. The man appeared intoxicated, and Guerra placed him under arrest for Public Intoxication. Following standard procedure, Guerra conducted a search incident to arrest before transporting the man to the Brownsville Police Department’s Temporary Holding Facility at 600 E. Jackson Street.

Once at the facility, Detention Officer Michael Longoria began the booking process and conducted a secondary search of the arrestee. During that search, Longoria discovered a revolver handgun concealed in the front waistband of the subject’s pants—an item that Guerra had missed during the initial pat-down.

The firearm was secured and booked into evidence without further incident, but the department launched an internal investigation due to the serious safety implications of the oversight. Had the arrestee become combative or reached for the weapon while in custody or transport, the situation could have escalated into a dangerous or even fatal encounter.

The department determined that Officer Guerra failed to properly perform a custodial search, thereby violating department policy, the Texas Local Government Code, and the City of Brownsville Employee Handbook.

As a result, Guerra agreed to a one-day unpaid suspension, served from 7:00 p.m. on January 2, 2025, to 7:00 a.m. the following day. He waived his right to appeal the disciplinary action under the terms outlined in Article 43, Section 1 of the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Brownsville and the Brownsville Police Officers Association.

Brownsville Officer Suspended for Failing to Complete Use-of-Force and Pursuit Reviews

A Brownsville police sergeant was suspended for two days after repeatedly failing to complete mandatory administrative reviews tied to high-risk incidents involving officers under his command. The oversight involved a backlog of serious cases, including vehicle pursuits and multiple use-of-force incidents, which went unreviewed for months.

The issues came to light on May 24, 2024, when an internal audit found that Sergeant Robert Garcia had several overdue files, including two that had been left sitting in his office inbox without action. One of the neglected reports involved a vehicle pursuit that ended in a patrol unit collision. The other file pertained to an officer injury that had not yet been processed through the department’s internal review channels.

A deeper audit of the department’s Benchmark review system revealed an even more troubling pattern. Garcia had failed to complete administrative reviews for numerous incidents going back as far as December 2023. These included multiple use-of-force cases where officers used physical force or conducted takedowns at gunpoint, as well as additional vehicle pursuits. Among the outstanding files were reviews for incidents involving officers drawing their weapons during arrests and one situation involving three suspects taken down at gunpoint during a domestic dispute call.

Garcia admitted to receiving all of the pending files and stated that while he began reviewing some of the reports, he never completed the required administrative process. For others, he acknowledged that he never even started the review. Garcia apologized for the oversight, stated that he had no excuse for his delays, and accepted full responsibility for failing to meet expectations. Notably, he had already received a written warning on April 10, 2024, for failing to submit an earlier administrative file on time.

The department found that Garcia’s continued inaction reflected a disregard for established city and departmental policies. In response, Garcia agreed to a two-day unpaid suspension, served in two overnight shifts from June 25 to June 27, 2024. He waived his right to appeal under the collective bargaining agreement.

Brownsville Officer Suspended After Striking Suspect With Firearm During Pursuit Arrest

A Brownsville police officer was suspended for two days after an internal investigation concluded he violated department policy by striking a suspect with his duty weapon and using questionable force during a high-risk arrest following a vehicle pursuit.

The incident occurred on December 24, 2023, just before noon, when officers responded to reports of a “subject down” at the intersection of Southmost Road and Esperanza Road. Callers reported a man appeared to be unconscious behind the wheel of a black Cadillac Escalade, which was stopped at a traffic light.

When officers arrived, the vehicle’s occupant drove off, leading them on a pursuit that ended in the parking lot of an apartment complex on the 500 block of South Central Avenue. As the driver attempted to reverse into a parking stall, Officer Gonzalo Rubio exited his patrol unit with his duty handgun drawn and approached the driver’s side of the Escalade.

According to the investigation, Rubio struck the suspect in the head with his handgun through the open window while the vehicle was still moving and nearly pinning him between two cars. He then pressed the muzzle of the gun against the suspect’s temple and left eye while ordering the man to shift the vehicle into park.

The suspect was taken into custody moments later and transported to the Brownsville City Jail. He was booked on charges of Driving While Intoxicated with an Open Container, Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle, and Resisting Arrest.

The department sustained multiple policy violations against Rubio, finding that his use of force—particularly the strike with the firearm and the placement of the muzzle against the suspect’s head—was excessive and inconsistent with approved tactics.

Rubio accepted responsibility and agreed to a two-day unpaid suspension with no right to appeal. The discipline was issued under Article 43, Section 1 of the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Brownsville and the Brownsville Police Officers Association.

Brownsville Officers Disciplined Following At-Fault Vehicle Crashes

Multiple Brownsville police officers were formally disciplined in 2024 after being found at fault in a series of on-duty vehicle collisions. While none of the incidents resulted in injuries, each crash caused property damage to either police units, civilian vehicles, or city infrastructure—and, in several cases, pointed to lapses in driving judgment or failure to follow departmental policy. Each officer accepted a one-day unpaid suspension and waived their right to appeal.

On February 8, 2024, Officer Guadalupe Casanova was involved in a rear-end collision while traveling southbound on the 700 block of North Expressway 77. According to investigators, Casanova became distracted while driving unit #253 and struck the vehicle in front of him. Both the patrol unit and the civilian vehicle sustained major damage. Casanova was found to be at fault, and following the investigation conducted by Sergeant Joseph Campos and Officer Angel Quiroz, he agreed to a suspension served from March 28 to March 29, 2024.

An earlier incident occurred on December 29, 2023, involving Officer Ricardo Rios, who rear-ended a blue Honda CR-V while exiting the 6900 block of North Expressway 77. Rios, driving unit #237, failed to control his speed and collided with the other vehicle. Although the Honda suffered only minor damage, the front of the patrol unit sustained substantial distributed damage. Sergeant Luis Nino and Officer Abel Arteaga determined that Rios was at fault. He served his suspension from January 18 to January 19, 2024.

On May 26, 2024, at approximately 1:13 a.m., Officer Charles Bush was responding to a call for service when he crashed unit #258 into a stop sign at the 2900 block of International Boulevard. Investigators found that Bush failed to activate his unit’s overhead lights, which would have turned on the dash camera—a violation of policy that complicated the investigation. Bush was cited for making an unsafe turn, and the stop sign, as well as the vehicle, were damaged. Notably, Bush had been involved in two previous on-duty at-fault collisions in November 2023, raising concerns about a pattern of careless driving. He served his one-day suspension from June 21 to June 22, 2024.

Another at-fault crash occurred on October 18, 2024, involving Officer Arian Leal. At approximately 10:09 a.m., Leal, driving unit #455, was traveling northwest on Southmost Boulevard behind a white Ford F-150 when the truck stopped at a red light. Leal failed to stop in time and struck the rear bumper of the F-150 with his patrol unit’s front bumper and grill. While the truck sustained minor damage, Leal’s unit suffered considerable front-end damage. No injuries were reported, but Sergeant Jose Huerta and Officer Mario Gomez found Leal at fault for failing to control speed, and he was issued a citation. Leal served his one-day suspension on November 4, 2024.

A Measured Response in a State Often Shielded by Silence

While none of the 2024 suspensions issued by the Brownsville Police Department were lengthy or career-ending, the department’s willingness to formally document and disclose officer misconduct offers a level of transparency that remains rare among Texas law enforcement agencies. In jurisdictions where Civil Service protections often lead to closed-door counseling or written reprimands shielded from public view, Brownsville’s practice of issuing actual suspensions—however brief—means the public has access to accountability.

Whether the punishments go far enough is open to debate. But the fact that the public can see them at all marks a meaningful departure from the opaque disciplinary practices common in much of the state. At a time when trust in policing remains under scrutiny, Brownsville’s decision to let the record speak—flawed as it may be—is a step toward building that trust through visibility, not silence.

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Additionally, while every effort is made to ensure the reliability of the information, the publication does not warrant the completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the content. Readers are encouraged to verify any legal information with official sources and to use their discretion when interpreting and applying the information provided.

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