Prosecutors have filed a misdemeanor battery charge against a Lauderhill Police road patrol officer after he allegedly punched a man in the face while working at a traffic crash scene earlier this year.
Officer Jason Reyes, 42, was investigating a crash March 8 in the area of the 4200 block of Rock Island Road in Lauderhill and got into a verbal argument with the driver involved, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Reyes told the driver to stand up, then allegedly intentionally punched him in the face, cutting the man’s lip and forcing him to stumble backward, the affidavit said. The encounter was recorded on body-worn camera.
The police department learned of the alleged incident that same day, and Reyes was put on administrative leave, Lt. Antonio Gonzalez said in a news release Tuesday night. The case was forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office, which formally filed the charge last week.
Reyes was hired in 2021 and has worked in road patrol since, the news release said.
He was awarded Officer of the Year in 2023, a post on the department’s Facebook shows. He rescued people trapped in a burning car after a crash in 2024, according to multiple news reports. WSVN-Ch.7 reported Reyes is an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He pleaded not guilty on Friday, court records show. He remains on administrative leave as the case is pending in court.