SAN ANTONIO — Jury selection gets underway today in Judge Ron Rangel's District 379th courtroom for two former San Antonio police officers accused of excessive force from a traffic stop.
Thomas Villarreal and Carlos Castro were indicted on allegations of aggravated assault by a public servant in December 2021. In Texas, if convicted of the first-degree felony, the two face five to 99 years in prison and fines that could reach $10,000.
Before that, SAPD Police Chief William McManus terminated their service from the department in July 2020. The two are appealing their termination through arbitration.
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According to indefinite suspension documents, the incident followed Eric Wilson on January 16, 2020, for speeding and not using a turn signal.
A police report said Wilson pulled into the driveway of a home in the 1900 block of Lamar Street just before 10 p.m. The officers said he did not obey their commands. Instead, he closed the home's door and locked it.
Castro and Villarreal said they smelled marijuana and called the situation an 'active pursuit.'
SAPD said the officers kicked Wilson's door down to arrest him for misdemeanor traffic violations. The indefinite suspension documents said a chair was placed in the doorway to keep Wilson from running away.
Still not compliant, the officers said they deployed a taser and failed. Fearing Wilson was armed, Castro and Villarreal started punching the man in the head, shoulder, back, and torso until they drew blood.
The officers found 30 grams of marijuana and 6 grams of MDMA. Meantime, Wilson was taken to the hospital for his injuries. He was arrested there, but the charges would later get dropped.
SAPD said a review of Castro's and Villarreal's actions that night are inconsistent with the department's use of force policies. The department's upper brass said the two did not have consent or an arrest warrant to be in Wilson's home.
The indefinite suspension documents said the situation lacked the urgency to justify the actions.
The Civil Rights Division of the Bexar County District Attorney's Office agreed. The prosecutors in the division put the case before a grand jury who believed what happened to Wilson should go to trial.
The division, which is nearly three years old, will prosecute the officers.
The DA's prosecutors plan to begin putting on evidence Friday morning following jury selection Thursday.