Officers Fired After Faking Service Call to Avoid Working Late

SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Two officers with the San Antonio Police Department have been fired after they allegedly falsified calls to avoid working late.

According to the investigation, on October 8, 2020, Officer Alexander Garza and Sgt. Hector J. Ybarra III were dispatched to a domestic disturbance around 2:37 a.m.

Instead of going to the call, Garza and Ybarra called in a standard motorist call and claimed they were helping the driver.

The officers' shift ended at 2:50 a.m. and one minute later they canceled the call.

According to the suspicion documents, "it was later determined there was no ‘stranded motorist’ on Creighton Avenue. The officers were) untruthful when (they) created a fictitious call to avoid handling a late call, which caused an unnecessary delay for the police response to a citizen in need.”

The document also showed that the fake call “resulted in a criminal investigation,” but neither officer have been criminally charged in connection with the investigation.

Before being suspended in March, both officers already faced prior suspensions.

Garza was suspended in February for 10 days after making TikTok videos during his shift. The investigation into the matter revealed Garza appeared in at least 34 videos while on duty or in full uniform. Several of the videos featured profane language.

Ybarra was suspended after he and four other officers forcibly entered an apartment while searching for a wanted suspect in August.

According to the report, one of the other officers attempted to complete a traffic stop and the driver fled.

The driver eventually pulled over in an open field and ran towards a hotel. The driver's passenger, his girlfriend, then told police he was running to his hotel room.

The responding officer, Sgt Ybarra, and two additional officers then forced their way into the hotel room, where they failed to locate the driver but found a second suspect who also had outstanding warrants.

The four officers were all cited for  forcibly entering the room “without a warrant or exigent circumstances.”

Both Garza and Ybarra are appealing the ruling with a third-party arbitrator to get reinstated.