Former Savannah Police officers allege retaliation for firings in 2020 use-of-force incident

[ad_1]

Two years after being fired and indicted for a use-of-force incident that would eventually generate three separate lawsuits, the criminal case involving former Savannah Police Sergeant Octavio Arango has moved forward.

The criminal suit centers around an incident that occurred on April 14, 2020, when Arango and his search warrant squad partner Daniel Kang detained the wrong man during an attempted execution of a search warrant at the Moss Pointe Apartment complex on Abercorn Street. The man detained, Darryl Faitele, is the cousin of the man for whom the warrant was intended.

Background: Grand jury indicts one former Savannah police officer on battery, false imprisonment

Officers Fired: Savannah police officers fired after allegedly using force on innocent man

Sgt. Octavio Arango, left, served 15 years with the Savannah Police Department before being fired in July 2020 following a use-of-force incident. He’s shown here with former interim Savannah Police Chief Mark Renew.

Both Arango and Kang reported the incident to their superiors and were placed on administrative leave, pending an internal investigation.

A month later, the country erupted into widespread protests with the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and ushered in calls nationwide for defunding police and racial reconciliation.

Both Savannah’s Mayor Van Johnson and Police Chief Roy Minter participated in a march on City Hall, in which they pledged greater police accountability.

Rally: Savannah mayor, police chief join in protests of George Floyd killing

Two months later in July, both Arango and Kang were fired and their case turned over to then-District Attorney Meg Heap’s office. In September 2020, a grand jury indicted Arango, a 15-year veteran of the department, with false imprisonment, a felony, and simple battery, a misdemeanor. The grand jury did not indict Kang.

At an Oct. 12 motion hearing in the criminal case against Arango, the former officer claimed the charges, like the firing, were motivated by retaliation from former Minter, against whom he had signed a human resources complaint along with 76 other SPD officers and command staff, just days before the April 20, 2020 incident. The HR complaint alleged that Minter gutted the independent internal affairs process, limited training and promotional opportunities, and misled the public and media on staffing shortages.

Story continues

Two more lawsuits

Two other lawsuits have been filed as a result of the April 2020 use-of-force incident.

In April 2021, Kang filed a federal lawsuit against the mayor and alderman of the City of Savannah and Minter. In the filing, Kangs attorney Michael Schiavone alleges that “Plaintiff, and his supervisor, Sergeant Arango, were improperly targeted by Chief Minter and retaliated against for speaking out about Minters wrongdoings,” specifically in relation to Minter’s handling of other internal affairs investigations and disciplinary proceedings.

More: Lack of transparency, culture of fear: Savannah Police officers rate Chief Minter’s performance

Moving On: Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter will resign, focus on US Marshal confirmation

Faitele, the man wrongfully detained, filed a civil lawsuit this past April in Chatham County against city leaders as well as Arango and Kang, alleging they used “excessive force” throughout the incident. Johnson and Melder are also named as defendants in the civil suit.

No hearings have been scheduled in either case.

Drew Favakeh is the public safety reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah police: Former officers alleviate retaliation for firings in 2020

[ad_2]