Fairfield parents of missing boy found safe file complaint against police
FAIRFIELD, Calif. (KGO) -- For the first time, the boy who was the focus of Monday's AMBER Alert recounted what happened and at the same time his parents are filing a complaint against the Fairfield Police Department.
It seemed like the perfect ending to a terrifying ordeal, the AMBER alert was successful and and 8-year-old Brock Guzman was home safe. However, Brock's parents say they weren't treated professionally.
Surrounded by family Tuesday, Brock held tight to his speech.
"I just want to say thank you to everybody that was out looking for me. I'm very happy to be home," he said.
His dad Paul Guzman says they're thrilled Brock is safe, but the family is upset with the way Fairfield officers handled the initial investigation.
"We were treated like criminals," he said.
Guzman showed ABC7 News cellphone video from Monday morning. Guzman says the video shows officers throwing his wife, Suzanne Guzman, on the ground and putting her in handcuffs.
"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" screamed Suzanne in the recording.
Paul said the situation escalated when his wife would not allow officers inside their house.
"We have two dogs and one of them will bite," Paul said.
Now, new body camera video posted by Fairfield Police on their YouTube channel page is shedding light on what really happened.
On the video you can hear Suzanne screaming and swearing; she's obviously extremely upset. Police say she was hysterical and was denying access to the home, even though officers spotted what appeared to be blood on the carpet. They ended up restraining her.
At one point in the video, an officer tries to explain why they need to search the house.
"The first thing you do any time you're looking for anyone missing is you start where they last were and check there first," the officer in the video said. "Every agency does that, that's what we're trying to do."
Former FBI agent Rick Smith says it is standard protocol to question families in a missing child case. He told ABC7 News, "The people being interviewed get a little defensive, which is natural, police are used to that. But I think there's a little bit of undue sensitivity here on the part of the family."
But the Guzmans feel officers crossed the line.
Eventually, Paul said both he and his wife were handcuffed and driven to the police station in the back of a squad car.
"Obviously, these officers need better training on how to deal with a mother who is hysterical about losing her kid," Paul said.
The Guzmans have hired an attorney and plan to file a formal complaint against the Fairfield Police Department.
Fairfield police would not discuss the video or the complaint, only saying the investigation is ongoing and they have not yet made an arrest in the case.
Here are the body camera videos released from the Fairfield Police Department via their YouTube channel page:
BodyCam1 - Warning Explicit Language
