ALICE, Texas — The alleged assault of a 16-year-old at an Alice apartment complex at the hands of an out-of-uniform police chief from Orange Grove is getting more context after a public records request made by KRIS 6 News.
The body camera footage of two responding officers shows blurred teenagers and a concerned mother.
“I’m telling them to get off of me man — like you cannot search me,” the 16-year-old told police. “He keeps trying to grab me and throw me against like the car window … He’s like throwing me like that, like hey man.”
The 16-year-old’s name was redacted in the police report due to him being a minor. He stated that he had stepped outside to grab a phone charger and that a car shined a spotlight on him. He added that the man, later identified as Roy Lee Guerrero, was not in uniform and instead wearing “civilian clothes.”
“He doesn’t ask me for my name— doesn’t say nothing,” the teen told police. “He just comes up to me starts trying to reach in my pockets.”
On May 3, Orange Grove city councilors voted to open up their own investigation into the incident that is to be handled by the law firm Wood, Boykin & Wolter to see if any city policy was violated.
Although not much could be seen of what led to the alleged assault, one teenager stated he had captured the interaction on Snapchat. Multiple witnesses and police were able to see that Guerrero had been using his marked unit from the city of Orange Grove.
City Administrator Todd Wright was unable to speak to the incident per a directive from the city mayor, but said that in most instances, law enforcement officers are not able to use their take-home vehicles outside city limits unless prior permission is given. Wright said he couldn’t recall being asked for any such thing.
“Sounds like he was just trying to make a lawful detention — he’s just trying to detain these guys, see what’s going on,” one officer said to the other.
“But they’re all saying the same story,” the other said.
The two eventually went to Guerrero’s residence in Alice that was only a short walk away. He stated to officers that he “did not hit” the 16-year-old, and defended himself as someone who was watching the apartment complex much like a security officer.
“He was obviously hiding something,” Guerrero said. “I didn’t wanna make a big deal out of it because — you’re right — I wasn’t in uniform, you know, But, you know I was — I was there doing a job because because they hired me to do the job.
“Did I have my lights on them? Yeah I did, I told him to stop, he kept going I told him, ‘Hey, stop.’”
When police told Guerrero that they had seen video of the incident, he didn’t respond.
“They’re just mad because they didn’t know who you were, Yeah you were in the Orange Grove (cruiser), you weren’t wearing a police uniform,” one officer said.
“And they thought that you were very disrespectful,” the other officer chimed in. Guerrero laughed.
Guerrero was charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor. He has not faced any reprimands and at last check, remains on active duty.
He declined to speak with KRIS 6 News.
