Bridgeport police officer fired for excessive force

BRIDGEPORT — A city police officer caught on video smacking a teenager in the back of the head with his service weapon in 2019 has been fired.

Police Chief Roderick Porter confirmed Friday afternoon that Officer Gianni Capozziello, an officer for six years, was terminated from the department.

“It’s an extremely unfortunate situation to have to terminate the employment of an officer, but strict adherence to policies and procedures must be maintained. We wish Officer Capozziello the very best in his future endeavors,” Porter said.

The chief said the decision to fire Capozziello was made as a result of a disciplinary hearing that occurred on Sept. 29. Capozziello had initially been suspended for 20 days by then-Acting Chief Rebeca Garcia in connection with the incident for violating the departments rule against the use of excessive force.

It was not the first time Capozziello was the subject of a use of force complaint or incident.

On Aug. 16, 2019, video of Capozziello striking a teen suspect in the back of the head with his gun was posted by a Facebook user.

Then-Police Chief Armando Perez told Hearst Connecticut Media he was notified the following morning of the video by Capt. Lonnie Blackwell.

Mayor Joe Ganim at the time called Capozziello’s actions “outrageous.”

In his police report, Capozziello stated he was on routine patrol on Barnum Avenue about 9:45 p.m. when he saw a red Volkswagen matching the description of a stolen motor vehicle. A license plate check confirmed the vehicle was stolen, the report stated.

Capozziello reported that he called dispatch and waited for backup, since he was alone in his vehicle, which is typically a two-person car. Capozziello said he had been following the vehicle without activating his emergency lights in an effort to prevent a possible pursuit.

When the driver — identified in the report as a 17year-old Hanover Street resident — turned onto Jane Street, Capozziello said, he activated his emergency lights and siren and “began conducting a felony stop with my department issued pistol unholstered and at the ... ready.”

It is unclear when backup officers arrived, but the video shows at least one officer with Capozziello by the time he gets out of his cruiser and starts to approach the Volkswagen.

“I gave multiple verbal commands to the operator to stick his hands out the window,” Capozziello wrote in his report. “I observed the operator moving around and ducking under the seat in the vehicle and popping his head up while turning back to face me multiple times.”

On the video, the driver’s window appears to be closed as he is ordered to put his hands out.

When the driver got out of the vehicle, Capozziello stated, he saw the 17-yearold drop both his hands to his waistline. Capozziello said he feared the teen was “reaching for a weapon as he turned away from me in (a) quick manner with his right side facing away from me and (I was) no longer able to see his right hand.”

Capozziello said he grabbed the teen’s wrist, and the boy “immediately began pulling away from me.”

“Fearing (he) was reaching for a weapon with his right hand and unable to holster my department issued pistol ... I utilized the magazine well area of my pistol as an emergency impact weapon,” the officer wrote in his report.

His suspension in that case was the second time in a month that Capozziello had been suspended without pay for using excessive force.

On Sept. 23, 2021, the city’s Board of Police Commissioners voted to suspend Capozziello for one day for violating the excessive force use regulation in connection with the Tasering of a 17-year-old boy in June 2018.

In that incident, Capozziello was involved in an incident with former City Councilwoman Karen Jackson’s son in which a Taser was used on the teenage boy. Jackson later filed a complaint against the officers, claiming excessive force.

Also, in October 2021 a federal lawsuit filed by 24-year-old Roberto Calderas, of Bridgeport, claimed that during the course of his arrest he was face down on the pavement when Capozziello aggressively pulled him off the ground by Calderas’ right arm, slammed him into a vehicle, and then “violently and maliciously struck the plaintiff in the head with his right forearm.”

The lawsuit states the alleged incident took place on July 11, 2019. It seeks unspecified monetary damages against Capozziello, the city of Bridgeport, Ganim and Perez.