Tampa police officer suspended for kicking suspect in head during arrest
By: Tampa, FL - The Tampa Police Department has suspended an officer for 30 days after bodycam video showed him kicking a suspect in the head while making an arrest earlier this year.
On the night of April 14, 2025, officers stopped a Hyundai Sonata at the intersection of N. Nebraska Ave. and E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. TPD says the driver had taken off from multiple previous attempted traffic stops.
Investigators say Charles Wilson, 31, took off again, and TPD's Aviation Unit followed the car from above until Wilson stopped.
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Wilson got out of the car and ran along E. New Orleans Ave., according to police, and was seen throwing a cross-body bag as he ran.
Officers soon tracked him down outside a home in the 5000 block of N. 9th St., where Officer Bryan Velazquez ordered Wilson to the ground at gunpoint.
The bodycam video shows Velazquez kicking Wilson in the head while using several profanities.
TPD says an internal investigation found that "Velazquez’s use of force was unreasonable, excessive, and was not necessary to safely take the subject into custody. His conduct compromised the professionalism, ethics, and objectives expected of a Tampa Police Officer."
Police say the cross-body bag discarded by Wilson, a 12-time convicted felon, contained a loaded gun along with 38.3 grams of marijuana.
Wilson faces the following charges:
* Felon in possession of a firearm
* Carrying a concealed firearm
* Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
* Tampering with physical evidence
* Fleeing and attempting to elude police
* Driving while license revoked
* Resisting an officer without violence
* Possession of cannabis (more than 20 grams)