Report revealed: Fresno police auditor says officer who punched teen used excessive force
Fresno’s independent police reviewer found that a police officer used excessive force when he repeatedly punched a 17-year-old in the face during an incident caught on camera.
Independent reviewer John Gliatta on Thursday released a report on the Jan. 23, 2019, arrest of London Wallace — a report he finished in May but admitted to withholding.
He said he was concerned the report could lead to civil unrest due to his findings, which differed from the Fresno Police Department’s internal affairs finding.
The report says Officer Christopher Martinez continued to punch Wallace after he was no longer resisting arrest or posed any threat to the officer. The report does not name Martinez, but the officer is the only person who can be seen throwing punches in the police video.
“It is my opinion punches four through seven were not within policy, however only the sixth punch actually made contact with the (Wallace’s) chin,” Gliatta wrote. “The remaining punches made minimal contact with (Wallace) and thus were inconsequential. I believe this portion of the allegation warranted a finding of sustained.”
Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall released a statement on Thursday addressing the reviewer’s finding. He said he considers all of the auditor’s reports for their potential to spur policy changes in the department.
“While state law prohibits me from disclosing personnel decisions involving discipline or corrective action arising from use of force incidents, I can assure the community appropriate action has been taken to address the level of force applied in the incident involving London Wallace,” Hall said in his statement.
The FBI and the state Department of Justice both reviewed the incident and agreed with the Fresno Police Department’s internal affairs bureau’s conclusion that the force was not unreasonable, according to Hall.
Gliatta’s report found no fault with the first three punches thrown by the officer, saying the punches only became a problem after Wallace attempted to cover his head and bent over.
He went on to write that none of the punches struck Wallace’s nose so the injuries he was treated for likely came after he went to the ground.
For many people who watched the video, none of the punches seemed warranted. Fresno State sociology professor Justin Sean Myers echoed those thoughts on Thursday on Twitter after the report became public.
“If punches 1-3 are within policy then the policy needs to be rewritten #fresno #PoliceBrutality,” he tweeted.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 12:04 PM.
