DeLAND, Fla. – Four DeLand police officers have been disciplined following an investigation that they violated department policy when they carried out a pursuit.
Sgt. Grant Fautisch was demoted to the rank of a police officer and was given 84 hours of unpaid suspension. Officers Joey Mulero and Michael Paez were given 40 hours of suspension without pay. Officer Rachel Riley was given a letter of written reprimand.
All four of those involved will be given remedial training on the department's pursuit policy and vehicle operation, police said.
Police released the video of the pursuit after the driver took off during a traffic stop when they were pulled over for an expired license tag.
According to the department, the officer should have never pursued the car, which included at least one of the patrol cars running a stop sign.
Police said the pursuit was not a high-speed chase but it was against policy, which bans a pursuit unless it's because of a forcible felony, like a carjacking, burglary or murder.
No injuries were reported in the pursuit.
The discipline comes after Marlon Brown was killed in May 2013 after he was run over by a DeLand officer following a traffic stop. Officer James Harris was later fired, but a grand jury cleared him of any criminal charges.