The former Opa-Locka police sergeant who is accused of firing a Taser gun inside the police department at a fellow officer has been terminated.
On Wednesday, the city announced the findings of the internal investigation into the September 2021 incident.
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WATCH HEREThe case summary details how the fellow officer “cringed” and asked Sergio Perez not to fire the Taser. When Perez eventually fired it, the officer says Perez called him a “baby.”
After firing Perez on Tuesday, Opa-Locka Police Chief Kenneth Ottley and City Manager Darvin Williams held a news conference 24 hours later, standing behind their decision.
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“He crossed the line that demanded he no longer be a part of this department,” said Chief Ottley. “Our investigation found seven policy violations when he inappropriately discharged his Taser.”
But Perez is firing back, claiming the city is retaliating against him for trying to expose corruption.
On Wednesday, he sent a statement to NBC6, saying in part, “Unfortunately, the police chief and city manager have turned the blind eye to the corruption that I have reported… as a measure of retaliation, I am being ‘disciplined’ again as they are doing everything to avoid exposure and facing the music. There isn’t a shadow of a doubt that I will be reinstated in my position with the city.”
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City Manager Darvin Williams denied those allegations.
“It was only the activities and the actions that caused this particular action. So, nothing outside of that was in consideration,” Williams said. “I met with Mr. Perez myself and his attorney. [I] requested additional information…anything they may have for consideration for the city before this decision was made.”
A criminal investigation into the tasing incident initially led to a battery charge. But that charge was dropped in January 2024 after urgent care notes were discovered by Perez’s attorney showing the accusing officer saying the incident was an accident.
At the time, Perez told NBC6, “I was innocent. This was a horseplay accident.”
Soon after, Perez was acquitted by a jury on battery charges stemming from a 2020 incident involving allegations of Perez punching and dragging a mentally ill teenager during a chaotic incident. Perez stated he was trying to deescalate the threatening situation, and that his actions helped to “end the event.”
Perez tells NBC6 he will speak out about the termination in the coming days.
