Miami-Dade police officers charged in rough arrest of handcuffed suspect

State attorney, police chief to hold news conference Tuesday afternoon

MIAMI – Two Miami-Dade police officers are facing charges in connection with the rough arrest of a handcuffed suspect last year.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez announced the charges at a joint news conference.

"Not only is this behavior unacceptable, it eats at the trust police officers need to solve crimes," Fernandez Rundle said.

Surveillance video of the March 2018 arrest shows Miami-Dade police breaking down the door of a home while serving a search warrant.

As Brian Crespo is being led out in handcuffs, a police officer, identified as Sgt. Manuel Regueiro, appears to punch Crespo in the face. Regueiro is charged with misdemeanor battery. 

Officer Alexander Gonzalez is charged with tampering with evidence and theft for attempting to damage a video surveillance system.

Crespo, who was out of jail on bond at the time of the incident, was arrested in connection with an investigation into stolen airbags.