Fort Worth police officer William Martin arrested in connection with off-duty shooting

FORT WORTH, Texas – William Martin, a Fort Worth police officer who was at the center of a controversial 2016 arrest, was arrested earlier this month in connection with an off-duty shooting.

On September 3, Martin was driving his personal vehicle when, according to police, a truck struck his car near I-35W and Morningside Drive and drove away.

Martin told police he chased the driver and the pickup truck then tried to ram his vehicle. Martin shot the driver, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Fort Worth police said that after completing their investigation, they concluded there was sufficient probable cause to charge Martin with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

He was arrested and taken to the Tarrant County Jail.

Martin was assigned to special duty until the internal investigation authority investigated the incident.

“The Fort Worth Police Department is filled with officers who do their jobs right every day. Our department will continue to hold employees accountable who fail to meet the standards expected of a Fort Worth police officer, and in doing so, we will continue to be transparent and open with our community,” the department wrote in a press release.

Martin has been with the Fort Worth Police Department for 19 years and during that time he took part in a controversial arrest that attracted a lot of attention.

In 2016, Martin was accused of using excessive force during the controversial arrest of Jacqueline Craig and her teenage daughter.

Craig had called police to report a neighborhood dispute before her conversation with Martin turned confrontational. Cellphone video showed Martin wrestling Craig and one of their daughters to the ground.

The incident sparked a viral video and accusations that Officer Martin used excessive force. Charges against both were later dropped.

In 2017, Officer Martin appealed a 10-day suspension in the Craig case, but the appeal was ultimately denied.

The family of the now deceased Jacqueline Craig later received $150,000 in compensation from the city in a civil rights lawsuit.

In the days since the latest incident, civil rights leaders in Tarrant County have called for Martin's firing.