Michael O’Connor is the Seminole County sheriff’s deputy and ex-Navy serviceman charged with misdemeanor battery.
Supervisors learned about video of him beating the handcuffed suspect, eventually bringing charges.
O’Connor was suspended and resigned before the internal investigation was completed.
The assault occurred in Winter Springs, Florida after O’Connor was dispatched as a back up unit to a domestic violence call that involved Jonathan Lynch.
Lynch had been arrested by another deputy and placed in back of patrol car after he allegedly attacked his mother, which caused her to bleed from her mouth.
“I was pretty belligerent with them, called them a bunch of names, every name in the book,” Lynch told WFTV.
Saying curse words is not a crime.
The video showed Lynch kicking the door and screaming at the officers for water.
O’Connor first replied he’d get him water if he’d calm down.
But that only set Lynch off more.
“Get me water, motherfucker,” shouted Lynch.
Deputy O’Connor then whispers back, “Chill the fuck out. I’m going to fucking kill you right now! You understand?”
“Where’s the water? I want the water,” Lynch angrily persisted.
But instead of getting Lynch water Deputy O’Connor opened the door of the police cruiser, grabbed Lynch’s face and punched him in the face.
Lynch then got even more belligerent with Deputy O’Connor and shouted, “You will lose . . . You will lose in this fight unless you Taze me.”
Lynch initially mistakenly identified the officer who punched him as the arresting officer.
But video cleared things up.
It showed Lynch was entirely truthful about being assaulted, but that Deputy O’Connor was the actual perpetrator of the crime.
“O’Connor’s actions were not just a violation of policy and law,” said Seminole County’s elected Sheriff Slinger to New York Daily News, “they were also contrary to our agency’s core values.”
As soon as the Sheriff’s got wind of the allegations by Lynch made on March 18, he launched an internal investigation.
O’Connor was then immediately placed on paid administrative leave
The deputy resigned on March 24th.
O’Connor was also investigated recently during another domestic violence call for violations of conduct against the public when he verbally abused the victim.
