Ex-Lake Worth officer indicted for hitting man with police radio
LAKE WORTH, Texas - A former Lake Worth police officer has been indicted by a grand jury in an excessive force case.
A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Landon Rollins, 44, this past Friday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with a governmental record.
"With the conversations that were taking place between the suspect and the doctors and nurses about what happened, he shared one version of the story that was contradicting what was told by the officer," explained Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. ‘Jay’ Manoushagian.
Rollins is also a former Fort Worth police officer. He appeared in past reports on FOX 4 with both police departments.
On May 14, Rollins was overseeing an undercover drug sting operation.
"We were set up to do the deal at one location, and then there was a spin-off location," Manoushagian recalled. "So he went to go scout that location."
That encounter between Rollins and a suspect, Tyler McKinney, is the reason he now faces one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of tampering with a government document. He allegedly lied about what occurred during the encounter with McKinney.
Tyler McKinney (Previous Mugshot)
"A foot pursuit ensued, and there was an incident where force was used against the suspect," the chief said. "And we were not made immediately aware of the severity of that."
Although there are no witnesses to what happened, the chief says other officers within the department who accompanied McKinney to the hospital made the chief aware that Rollins likely crossed the line with the use of force.
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"I can say that there were lacerations to his head that we believed were caused by the officer’s radio," Manoushagian said.
By July 8, an internal affairs review of Rollins’ use of force and his attempt to conceal his actions in a report resulted in the chief taking action and firing him.
The chief hopes it sends a message to citizens and sworn officers that his department prioritizes accountability and transparency.
"I hope it provides assurances to our officers that we are committed to creating an environment of professional policing, and that any type of misconduct is not going to be tolerated," he said.
Rollins turned himself in for the felony indictment on Tuesday and has already been released on bond.