A Fort Worth police officer who was at the center of a controversial 2016 arrest has been arrested and booked into the Tarrant County Jail following his involvement in an off-duty shooting earlier this month, according to a police department news release.
Officer William Martin was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a Major Case Unit investigation into a shooting stemming from an altercation with another driver on Interstate 35W, police said.
The arrest comes after a Sept. 3 incident where an off-duty officer, now identified as Martin, called 911 to report a hit-and-run on I-35W.
Martin told dispatchers he was following the truck and that he fired a gun when the other driver tried to ram his vehicle, a police news release said. The driver was hit multiple times and hospitalized for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
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The police department said Martin, who has been with the department for 19 years, has been on restricted duty during the internal investigation. The department said Martin will be placed on detached duty after the arrest. No other information was provided on what "detached duty" entails.
"The Fort Worth Police Department is filled with officers who do the job right every day. Our department will continue to hold employees accountable who do not meet the standards expected of a Fort Worth police officer, and in doing so, we will continue to be transparent and open with our community," the news release said.
Martin is not listed on the Tarrant County Jail roster of inmates and no mug shot could be found.
Martin's attorney said in a statement that his client was innocent of the charges and "his actions were wholly in line with the duties of a peace officer under Texas law."
"This case is a prime example of what happens when a police department places political expediency ahead of a thorough and complete investigation of the facts," Martin's attorney said in a statement. "Thankfully, the case will now be in the hands of the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, who we trust will handle this case appropriately and professionally."
During a city council meeting last week, community members called for Martin to be terminated and for there to be more transparency about the shooting, saying the two incidents show a pattern of concerning behavior from Martin.
Martin made headlines in 2016 when he was accused of using excessive force during the arrest of Jacqueline Craig and her teenage daughters.
Craig called the police to report a neighbor had choked her son. Martin was the responding officer and argued with Craig before the arrests. Video of the arrest, showing Martin wrestling Craig and her 15-year-old daughter to the ground, went viral. Craig's 19-year-old daughter, who recorded the arrests on her cell phone, was also arrested.
The charges against Craig and her daughters were dropped and a Fort Worth jury convicted the neighbor of assault.
Martin received a 10-day suspension for violating departmental policies.
The family settled a civil rights lawsuit with the city and received $150,000. Craig died in 2023.
