GLENDALE, Ariz. — Editor's note: The above video is from a 2019 broadcast.
The Arizona Attorney General's Office has filed criminal charges against the former Glendale police officer who discharged his stun gun 11 times on a suspect in 2017.
Officer Matthew Schneider, formerly of the Glendale Police Department, had been disciplined by his employer for an incident in 2017 that involved him using excessive force against Johnny Wheatcroft.
But now criminal charges have been filed against Schneider that accuse him of assaulting Wheatcroft.
In addition to tasing the man, body-camera footage caught Schneider admitting to Wheatcroft that he kicked him in the groin.
Schneider claimed Wheatcroft was noncompliant with his demands. But Wheatcroft said he didn't do anything to antagonize police officers.
"I wasn't resisting at all," Wheatcroft said to police officers in 2017. "I was stuck in my seatbelt."
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to prosecute Schneider after Glendale police conducted a criminal investigation into Schneider's behavior.
On Thursday, the Arizona Attorney General's Office decided to prosecute Schneider by filing three charges of aggravated assault against him.
In a statement, the Glendale Police Department said it will cooperate with the state's case against Officer Schneider.
"The city will fully cooperate with any requests made by the Attorney General’s Office," the statement read. "The Glendale Police Department works tirelessly to maintain the respect of the community they serve."
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