Press Releases
04/27/2021
Hartford Police Officer Charged with Assault
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hartford, CT) - Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford State’s Attorney, announced today that a Hartford Police Department sergeant was arrested and charged with assault as a result of a use-of-force investigation. An arrest warrant was issued by a Superior Court judge based on an investigation by the Hartford Police Department in conjunction with the Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office.
James S. Guzie, 47, was arrested by the Hartford Police Department on a warrant charging him with Assault in the Third Degree in connection with an incident that occurred in the booking area of the Hartford Police Department on March 15, 2021.
An arrest warrant affidavit states that on that date, members of the Hartford Police Department, including Guzie, were in the booking area where the arrestee was going through the intake process. The video shows that Guzie struck the arrestee in the face with a closed fist after the arrestee spat at Guzie. An initial internal investigation by the Hartford Police Department prompted a notification to the State’s Attorney’s Office. Once notified about the incident, a full investigation was requested by this office. The result of that investigation is that probable cause exists that the force used by Guzie following being assaulted was unreasonable under all the circumstances and such conduct violates CGS §53a-61.
Guzie is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on May 19, 2021, for arraignment. The case is being prosecuted by the Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office.
As in all criminal cases, the charges are merely accusations and Guzie is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Assault in the Third Degree is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year imprisonment and a fine of up to $2,000.