A San Antonio police officer is off the force after internal discipline records say he punched and slapped a handcuffed suspect, then shoved him into a patrol vehicle during a December arrest at a west-side gas station. The department issued an indefinite suspension in May, effectively firing him, after a foot pursuit that ended on the 7000 block of Culebra Road, according to those records.
According to a disciplinary report reviewed by San Antonio Express‑News, former Officer Arturo Trevino was placed on indefinite suspension on May 12 after investigators concluded he violated department policies that prohibit physical and verbal abuse. Body-worn camera footage appears to show Trevino escorting the suspect to a patrol vehicle, pushing him into the front passenger door and throwing him to the pavement during the Dec. 20 encounter, the report states.
The same footage, the report says, captured Trevino punching the handcuffed man in the face three times, then later slapping him across the cheek while ordering him into the car. The disciplinary packet concluded Trevino “subjected the suspect to unnecessary physical violence and verbal abuse” and that “Officer Trevino's actions render his continuance in office detrimental to effective law enforcement and the needs of the San Antonio Police Department,” according to San Antonio Express‑News.
Footage and department discipline
The case drops into a growing stack of discipline notices at SAPD, where several officers have recently been suspended or placed on indefinite leave over use-of-force complaints, internal records and local reporting show. KSAT Investigates has reported multiple suspensions tied to use-of-force incidents in 2025 and early 2026.
What the suspension means
Under Texas civil-service law, an indefinite suspension functions as a termination, but the officer can appeal the discipline to the city's Fire Fighters’ and Police Officers’ Civil Service Commission or to an independent hearing examiner, according to the Texas Local Government Code. Any appeal or hearing would show up in civil-service filings and meeting packets, which are public records.
Disciplinary documents like the one reviewed by the San Antonio Express‑News are also part of the public record. City agendas and meeting packets, tracked on platforms such as MotionCount, would reflect any appeal or further action by the commission.
