(WWJ) A Taylor Police officer has been charged in the alleged assault of a Southfield man while on the job last year.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office says 23-year-old Tyler Peak punched Brendan Morgan in the face, forcibly pulled him from his car and hit him several more times during a traffic stop along Telegraph Road in April of 2020.
This happened dispute that Morgan, 34, had his hands raised, according to investigators.
Morgan was pulled over for his alleged involvement in a domestic violence situation involving a 34-year-old woman — identified by authorities as Morgan's girlfriend — in Taylor.
According to a news release by the WCPO on Tuesday, this is what happened: "Mr. Morgan's car was located driving toward the Marathon station located in the 8350 block of Telegraph. The scout cars activated their lights and sirens as Mr. Morgan pulled into the station. Officer Peake approached on foot, pointed his handgun at Mr. Morgan, and instructed him to stop his car and get out several times.
"Mr. Morgan rolled down his window and raised both hands where they were visible. It is alleged that Officer Peake then punched Mr. Morgan in the face with his right hand through the open window while holding his handgun in his left hand. Ten seconds elapsed from the time Officer Peake approached yelling commands until the time he punched Mr. Morgan."
Prosecutors said three marked SUV scout cars with seven officers responded to the dispatch. The officers had body-worn cameras and the scout cars had cameras that recorded the incident.
Peak was arraigned in 23rd District Court in Taylor Wednesday morning on two counts: Misconduct in Office, a common law felony that carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison; and Assault and Battery, a 93-day misdemeanor.
Prosecutors said he was given a personal bond with the condition that he have no contact with the complaining witness, and his CPL was also suspended.
Peak now awaits his next court date, a Probable Cause Conference is scheduled for Sept. 8.
Meanwhile, he will not be working as a cop.
The Taylor Police Department said it was notified about the charges, and that Peak has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal case.
As for Morgan, some of the charges filed against him were dropped when the alleged victim, his girlfriend, failed to appear in court. A judge then found insufficient evidence to bind over him over for trial on the remaining charges — including fleeing and resisting police — and the case was dismissed.
