BSO deputy surrenders after charge upgraded in man's beating

Justin Lambert faces felony battery charge stemming from February 2014 incident

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – One of two Broward Sheriff's Office deputies who slammed a man to the pavement last year turned himself in Monday on a felony battery charge.

The Broward County state attorney's office issued an arrest warrant for Deputy Justin Lambert, who has been suspended with pay since April.

Lambert's arrest is connected to the February 2014 incident at a Deerfield Beach gas station involving David Gonzalez.

Surveillance video shows Lambert and Deputy Mike Manresa slam Gonzalez to the ground before his arrest on a charge of resisting arrest. The charge was dropped after the surveillance video surfaced.

Gonzalez suffered a broken orbital socket and other facial injuries, his attorneys said.

The BSO previously stated that the deputies' actions were justified, but Gonzalez denied raising his hands at them in a February interview with Local 10 News investigative reporter Bob Norman.

Lambert was initially charged with simple battery, but the state attorney's office agreed to re-review the case because of the severity of Gonzalez's injuries.

"The prosecutorial decision to charge this particular deputy with a felony for the type of conduct exhibited in the video is a step towards that goal, because any of us would be similarly charged," attorney Michael Glasser told Local 10 News in a statement.

Sheriff Scott Israel has changed Lambert's employment status to suspended without pay.

Lambert's attorney did not reply to a request for comment.

Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10