A New Mexico Sheriff’s Deputy has been fired for slapping a kid in the backseat of a police car.
Former Sandoval County Sheriff’s Deputy Fred Switzer, 70, was caught on video in August slapping a juvenile boy four times. In the video, the boy appears to mouth off and then spit before Switzer slaps him three times and backhands him once. A criminal complaint was filed against against Switzer Friday for slapping the boy, who is reportedly 12 years old, the Albuquerque Journal reports.
Switzer is charged with one count of battery and faces up to a $500 fine and 6 months in jail. Switzer, a former Lieutenant for the Albuquerque Police Department, had worked with the sheriff’s office for 8 years before being fired over the incident. An APD spokesman said Switzer was fired from the APD as well.
Another law enforcement officer saw the slapping and reported Switzer.
“I was shocked by it,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Keith Elder told the Albuquerque Journal. “My reaction would be very similar to anyone else’s that saw a law enforcement officer strike a juvenile restrained and in a vehicle.”
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