Five Austin police officers indicted for conduct in 2020 protest, police union says

Ryan Maxin, Austin American-Statesman
Updated ·2 min read
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An Austin police officer pulls back a colleague after he chased a protester into the crowd that had spilled onto the northbound lane of Interstate 35 in downtown Austin on May 30, 2020. A special grand jury has indicted five Austin police officers for their conduct during the 2020 social justice protests.
An Austin police officer pulls back a colleague after he chased a protester into the crowd that had spilled onto the northbound lane of Interstate 35 in downtown Austin on May 30, 2020. A special grand jury has indicted five Austin police officers for their conduct during the 2020 social justice protests.

A special grand jury has indicted five Austin police officers for their conduct during the 2020 social justice protests, the Austin Police Association announced Wednesday.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the police union's president, Thomas Villarreal, wrote he was initially informed of the special grand jury's investigation within the past week. He then learned of the indictments of the five officers, three of whom are already facing indictments in connection with the protests, according to his statement.

The officers' identities and the charges against them have not yet been released. An indictment is not a finding of guilt, rather a formal accusation of a serious crime.

Villarreal made clear his displeasure with the process, writing that he and the officers involved were given late notice of the case's developments, which he referred to as a "goat rodeo." He blamed Travis County District Attorney José Garza for the special grand jury's decision, writing that he believed it was politically motivated and calling Garza "anti-police."

"Mr. Garza, your relentless pursuit of police officers, with seemingly little regard for due process or the presumption of innocence, is both misguided and deeply troubling," Villarreal wrote. "By singling out police officers for political gain, you are doing a great disservice to our community."

In response, the district attorney's office released a statement on Twitter defending the special grand jury's decision and accusing the Austin Police Association of sustaining a "political war" against Austin residents. The office also said it will not comment on the case, citing the secrecy of grand jury decisions.

"It is unfortunate that instead of honoring the rule of law and focusing on keeping our community safe, the Austin Police Association has chosen yet again to sow discontent and conflict because they are unhappy with oversight decisions made by our community," an unnamed district attorney spokesperson wrote in the statement.

The special grand jury's decision comes after 19 police officers were indicted in 2021 for excessive use of force during the 2020 protests. Charges against one of the 19 officers were eventually dropped.

Protests: Up to 18 Austin police officers could face charges

Thousands of people gathered in Austin in 2020 as part of nationwide protests against the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Michael Ramos in Austin. Protesters and police clashed in some cases, leading to public scrutiny of officers' conduct. Since the protests, the city of Austin has paid millions of dollars in settlements to people who were injured by police during the demonstrations.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Five Austin police officers indicted in connection with 2020 protests