CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Detroit police officer is facing two assault charges following allegations that he repeatedly punched an employee of a local high school after an argument over a parking space.
Officer Philip Rodriguez was off duty in October 2023, attending a football game at Chippewa Valley High School when his vehicle was allegedly blocking an entrance used by the high school’s marching band.
After an announcement was made requesting that the vehicle be moved, Rodriguez’s girlfriend re-parked the truck. When she did, she would later tell Clinton Township police that she encountered a high school employee who she claimed yelled profanities at her.
The employee denied using any profanities but said he told the woman not to park there.
Twenty minutes later, a surveillance camera captured Rodriguez returning in his truck, getting out of his vehicle and approaching the 64-year-old high school employee.
Related Video: Watch the surveillance video of the altercation below
The man said Rodriguez asked: “Do you want to say that to a man?” to which the employee replied: “Sure.”
It was then, the man said, that Rodriguez shoved him, then punched him in the face and knocked him to the ground.
The 64-year-old told police that Rodriguez punched him five times in the face while he laid on the ground.
A woman who said she witnessed the assault reported pulling Rodriguez off the man, then said the officer shoved her.
When Clinton Township police responded, they said the school employee had a laceration on his face along with dry blood and a swollen lip.
Last December, Rodriguez was charged with aggravated assault and assault and battery. He has pleaded not guilty.
In a statement, the Detroit Police Department said it is "closely monitoring the case involving Police Officer Philip Rodriguez and will make appropriate recommendations to Disciplinary Administration, up to and including his dismissal from the Detroit Police Department."
Police Commissioner Ricardo Moore was not aware of the assault charges until contacted by 7 News Detroit. He reviewed the police report and surveillance video from that night and said the officer's conduct was unacceptable.
“If it was an issue where police needed to be involved, the officer would know to call the police himself,” Moore said. “Not take matters into his own hands and assault an elderly man.”
Since December, Rodriguez — whose father is a captain at the city's 12th precinct — has been on paid administrative leave from the department.
In a statement, the department said the connection to his father played no role in Chief James White’s decision not to pursue suspending Rodriguez without pay.
Instead, according to the statement, it was “based exclusively on the seriousness of the misconduct and the feasibility of obtaining board approval for the suspension."
Rodriguez is scheduled for a bench trial on Nov. 19. His attorney declined comment while the case is still pending.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.
