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Internal investigation determines Sarasota officer who pressed knee on man's neck, back did not use excessive force

The 69-page report details the events that occurred during the May 2020 arrest of Patrick Carroll.
Credit: Sarasota Police Department

SARASOTA, Fla. — The Sarasota Police Department officer seen on camera pinning Patrick Carroll to the ground with his knee during an arrest in 2020 did not use excessive force, according to an internal investigation.

The investigation was launched, by then Chief of Police Bernadette DiPino, after the police department became aware of a video posted to Facebook of the arrest.

“In the video, Sarasota Police Ofc. Drusso Martinez was observed with his leg across the base of Caroll’s neck as he lay handcuffed on the ground," the internal report reads. 

Police said such tactics are not used, taught, or advocated by the department.

But the report, finalized in November of 2020, finds that Martinez did not make "egregious violations" and did not exercise an "excessive use of force." The Sarasota Herald-Tribune was the first to report the findings. 

As a result of the internal investigation, Martinez was "exonerated" for violation of rules, orders, and policies and from disciplinary action as a result of the force used.

Last year, Carroll, 27, was arrested for allegedly hitting the mother of his children and throwing her to the ground, according to an arrest report released by Sarasota police. Officers noted she was bruised and had areas of swelling on her body.

Credit: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office
Patrick Carroll

According to an arrest report, officers Martinez, Stanaland and Wicinski responded to Dixie Avenue on a domestic violence call. They eventually caught up to Carroll and attempted to take him into custody.

That's where the internal investigation comes into play. 

Those assigned to the investigation say Carroll pulled away and dropped his bodyweight on several occasions before the responding officers determined it would be easier to search Carroll from the ground. 

It was during this search attempt that Martinez documented he placed his knee on the back of Carroll's beck to "better control his body." 

An assessment of bystander video and video recorded by a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office helicopter shows Martinez was on or near Carroll's neck for a total of 1 minute and 52 seconds. 

But investigators say "down pressure" by Martinez was only applied for a few seconds at various times.

Editor's warning: Some viewers might find the following video upsetting

An additional reason given for Martinez's exoneration was due to no one from the community reportedly contacting Internal Affairs to make a formal complaint or voice specific concerns regarding the actions of the officers during the arrest.

Investigators also say Carroll never reported to be injured, stated he was unable to breathe or requested to see the nurse or be taken to the hospital. They also say he was uncooperative when asked to provide a statement about his arrest.

Specifically, the internal investigation noted that Carroll made 20 calls while in the Sarasota County Jail and that he did not complain about injuries, the officers, the charges, or the arrest process in any of those instances.

A use of force report was submitted following Carroll's arrest and was approved by several supervisors, according to the internal investigation.

When speaking with Martinez about the arrest he stated that he did not pin Carroll's face or neck, specifically, to the ground. 

"...did not pin his face to the concrete, nor did I actually pin his neck to the concrete. I was, as I was seen in the video, kind of putting the majority of my weight on my toes and kind of bouncing back and forth trying to control my weight and make sure I don’t put too much, um, weight on him, if any at all,” the report shows Martinez said.

Those conducting the internal investigation agreed, stating that Carroll bucking up and raising his head throughout the recording of the arrest "verified that Ofc. Martinez was not pinning Carroll's face or neck to the ground."

“I was unable to find evidence to support the belief that Ofc. Martinez restricted Carroll’s airway during this event," the investigation's conclusion read.

Editor's warning: Some viewers might find the following video upsetting

While Martinez was cleared of excessive force, the internal investigation did note the similarity of the technique to the George Floyd case and stated that four other control options were available to the responding officers. 

Those additional options just did not come with a "guarantee they would have been successful."

When questioned on how his technique differed from the one used on George Floyd, Martinez says the pressure used was not the same and that Carroll did not state "I can't breathe" or "you're hurting me" during his arrest.

Carroll's attorney's filed a civil lawsuit back in 2020 against the Sarasota Police Department alleging a "deprivation of civil rights."

To read the department's full internal investigation report, click here:

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