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Matthew Nutt, a former Antioch police officer fired in April 2023 for violating the department's use-of-force policies, has been charged with assaulting a handcuffed man during a traffic stop in July 2022, according to a Mercury News report. Nutt is facing a single misdemeanor count of an officer unnecessarily assaulting a person, and the incident has been caught on video. The footage showed Nutt repeatedly punching, kicking, kneeing, and elbowing the victim, who was handcuffed and experiencing a panic attack.
UPDATE: “I’m having a panic attack! I need medical!” @AntiochPolice release body-cam videos showing then-Ofc. Matthew Nutt allegedly punching, kicking, kneeing & elbowing Terry Robinson, wanted on warrants, after he refused to get in police car. Nutt charged by @ContraCostaDA pic.twitter.com/WG9BmjVraI
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) June 15, 2023
Following the internal investigation of Nutt's conduct, he was terminated on April 21, 2023. The ex-officer, who joined the Antioch Police Department in 2019 after serving as a patrol officer in the Los Angeles Police Department, is also named as one of the officers who received some of the racist text messages that have rocked the department. However, Nutt is not accused of sending or responding to any of these messages, as reported in a CBS News article.
The incident took place when Nutt and another officer, Sgt. Joshua Evans, attempted to arrest the victim on an outstanding warrant. The victim told the officers he was having a panic attack and agreed to get into the police car, only for Nutt to brutally assault him moments later. It was also revealed that Evans is under administrative investigation for the repeated use of racist slurs and other offensive communications.
Antioch Police Chief Steven Ford, in a statement on the incident, said that the "unfortunate incident is not reflective of the women and men who serve our community" and urged people to continue supporting the department. He added that their commitment to accountability and transparency is unwavering, and this case should be seen as an expression of that commitment.
The body-cam videos released by the Antioch Police Department show Nutt's brutal treatment of the victim, with multiple blows within just seconds. The external firm Chaplin & Hill conducted an Internal Affairs probe, finding Nutt in violation of four separate department use-of-force policies, including using unreasonable force, failure to de-escalate, and failure to use alternative tactics. Though Nutt has appealed his termination, an arbiter upheld it, and he is scheduled to enter his plea on July 18, 2023.
For the Antioch Police Department, Nutt's case is just the latest in a series of controversies that have plagued the force for more than 18 months. Numerous officers have been under criminal investigation by both the FBI and other authorities for suspected civil rights violations and other crimes. Furthermore, a massive lawsuit is currently aiming to bring federal oversight to the troubled department.
Moreover, the city's police force has found itself under intense scrutiny after the discovery of racist, homophobic, and sexist text messages exchanged among its officers. The scandal led East Bay congressmen Mark DeSaulnier and John Garamendi to call on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to initiate an investigation into the department. If the attempts to bring oversight fail, the state attorney general's civil rights probe may still force reform, putting the Antioch Police Department under even more pressure.
