HARTFORD, Conn. — A Hartford police officer was arrested Wednesday after allegedly slapping a prisoner who had assaulted him, but was fully secured and did not present a threat at the time, according to the city's police department.
Hartford Police Officer Marcello Confeiteiro is facing a charge of breach of peace in the second degree. Police said he has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation and the judicial case.
On July 18, Confeiteiro was assigned as a prisoner guard at a local hospital. According to an arrest warrant, multiple witnesses reported that the officer slapped the prisoner in the face while he was fully secured in handcuffs to his hospital bed.
The warrant noted that the prisoner, who previously had his right hand free, had to be fully secured after he punched Confeiteiro in the face and spat on him.
Before Confeiteiro was assaulted, the officer made attempts to de-escalate the situation and reason with the prisoner who was behaving "in an erratic manner" and throwing "objects around the room," but those attempts proved unsuccessful, the warrant said.
Confeiteiro's use of force to restrain the prisoner while unsecured, which included punching him in the face after being assaulted, was investigated by a patrol supervisor and determined to be "necessary and reasonable to accomplish a lawful objective, control the situation, overcome the resistance and defend himself from the assault."
According to the warrant, the investigation involving Confeiteiro is regarding the use of force that took place after the prisoner had been fully secured. The Hartford Police Internal Affairs Division initiated the investigation.
The prisoner is facing his own charges for the assault on Confeiteiro, including interfering with an officer, assault of public safety, emergency medical, public transit, or health care personnel. He had been arrested for two domestic assault warrants. The prisoner was admitted to the hospital for medical issues that were not related to his arrest, according to the warrant.
When talking to Hartford police, the prisoner said that he did not remember assaulting Confeiteiro or being slapped, but did remember being punched in the face "a lot of times."
According to the warrant, the prisoner said that he did "not want Officer Confeiteiro to get in trouble or be fired," and that "his only desire was to be cleared of his own charges in court so that he could go home."
A warrant for Officer Confeiteiro's arrest was submitted to the court on Tuesday, Aug. 27, and he turned himself in on Wednesday. He was released on written promise to appear.
Sean Humphrey is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at shumphrey@fox61.com
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