MIAMI – While police officers’ body-worn camera video was incongruent with their reports, the City of Miami’s Civilian Investigative Panel sustained a complaint on Tuesday that two police officers used excessive force on a man on Dec. 9, 2021.
Investigators concluded Sgt. Gary Sampson grabbed George Augustus by the neck and pushed him against a fence, and Officer Bens Mocombe dragged Augustus — who was in handcuffs and shackles — across a hallway floor at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
The 11-member panel, which aims to provide impartial oversight of the Miami Police Department, also found that Sampson, Mocombe, and Officer Elouse Joseph, who witnessed the treatment and failed to intervene or report it, violated the department’s policies.
The CIP panel conducted an independent investigation after the department’s internal affairs division red-flagged the incident during a routine audit, according to city officials. The disciplinary action is up to the department.
The panel includes Noel Rojas, who was appointed by the police chief, and Vilmary Martinez and Merdochey LaFrance, who were both appointed by the mayor. Maithe Gonzalez, of District 3, is the chair, and Minca Brantley, of District 5, is the vice chair.
The other members are Russell Motley of District 1; George Ray III and Ahmir Kenyatta, both of District 2; Stephen Navarrete, of District 3; Joe Rinaldi and Michelle Reboso Valladares, both of District 4; and Trenise Bryant, of District 5.
The panel has the support of Attorneys Rodney W. Jacobs, Jr., the director, and John Quick, an independent counsel. There are also three investigators, Vivian Moreno, Elisabeth Albert, and Michael Lucas. Jacobs also serves as a U.S. Army Reserve military intelligence officer.
“They will create their own recommendations and findings,” Jacobs told Local 10 News on Tuesday about the role of the CPI panel.
For more information about the CIP panel, reports, schedule of public meetings, or how to file a complaint, visit this page.