Scandal-plagued Opa-Locka sergeant fired after internal investigation into 2021 Taser incident that injured colleague – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

OPA-LOCKA, Fla. (WSVN) – An Opa-locka police officer has been fired following an internal investigation into a 2021 incident in which he deployed a Taser at the police station, injuring a fellow officer, according to city officials.

The investigation against Sergeant Sergio Perez was initially suspended due to a criminal charge that was later dropped and was resumed at the beginning of the year.

In 2021, Perez was charged with assault after he was accused of shocking his colleague with a taser.

The affected colleague was taken to hospital.

After the assault charge was dropped, the investigation into Perez continued and numerous policy violations were discovered, leading City Manager Darvin Williams to follow Police Chief Kenneth Ottley's recommendation and fire Perez.

A statement from the city of Opa-locka said:

Opa Locka paused its internal investigation because Perez was criminally charged in the incident. After those charges were dropped in January, the investigation reopened and found several policy violations were sustained.

Perez was informed of his termination on Monday.

This is not the first time Perez has made headlines. The problematic police officer has continued to work for years despite public scandals in the line of duty.

He was fired from the Miami Shores Police Department in 2006.

He was also previously connected to an incident that led to his dismissal from the police force for his role in a fatal car chase on Interstate 95 in April 2013 that left four tourists dead. He was later reinstated by the police force.

Several years later, Perez was arrested and charged with treason when he was filmed using a taser to stun a special needs youth and drag him out of his home in September 2020, according to authorities.

The footage was body camera footage of Perez and other police officers using a taser on 19-year-old Jafet Castro before dragging him out of his home.

As a result of this incident, civil proceedings are pending against the police.

Opa-locka officials will hold a press conference Wednesday morning to further discuss the matter.

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