A San Antonio police officer is off the streets indefinitely after internal records and body‑camera video captured a violent arrest that moved from the street to the booking process in September 2025.
Investigators say the footage and accompanying paperwork show the officer kneeing, slapping and even pulling the hair of a handcuffed man, behavior that ultimately cost him his badge for now and dropped fresh fuel on San Antonio’s ongoing fight over police accountability.
What the records show
Documents reviewed by KSAT state that Officer Johnathan T. Guerra kneed the suspect in the back of the head and later in the stomach, pushed him onto the hood of a patrol unit, slapped him and pulled his hair during a search.
The man was wanted on a felony family‑violence warrant and, according to the station’s summary of the records, at one point tried to kick. Guerra responded with a clear verbal threat, telling him, “You kick me bro, I’m gonna f--- you up,” before striking him, KSAT reports.
Policy and procedure
Under Procedure 501, titled “Response to Resistance,” San Antonio Police Department policy requires officers to “use only the level of force necessary” and to de‑escalate when possible. The written rules also require supervisors to document and review any use‑of‑force incidents and to respond to those scenes to make sure officers are following department policy, according to the City of San Antonio.
Discipline and oversight
Suspension paperwork reviewed by KSAT lists Guerra as an SAPD officer since 2020 and labels his conduct “unnecessary physical violence.” That finding triggered an indefinite suspension, the department’s most serious form of discipline short of outright termination.
The documents and video are now evidence in an internal affairs review that could lead to additional administrative action, depending on what the department’s investigators and command staff decide.
What happens next
Internal affairs and the chain of command will go through the body‑cam footage and the suspension file, piece by piece. Under the police union contract, SAPD’s disciplinary decision can be appealed, a step that has turned past high‑profile firings into lengthy, behind‑closed‑doors battles.
The release of these latest records arrives as San Antonio continues to argue over how officers are punished and whether contract provisions and arbitration make it harder to keep discipline in place. Reform advocates say the slow grind of the process undermines public trust, while officers and union leaders often argue due process is non‑negotiable.
For now, the case puts SAPD’s use‑of‑force rules and its disciplinary system under a brighter spotlight, and is likely to renew calls for clearer accountability and quicker timelines. We will track any public statements from the department, the city attorney and the courts as the internal process moves forward.
