Charges filed against ex-officer who used stun gun on man 11 times

By David Baker

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    GLENDALE, Arizona (KPHO) — A Glendale police officer has been charged with three felonies years after body-cam video shows him and other officers using a stun gun on a man 11 times during a traffic stop. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office filed the charges on Thursday against former Glendale Police Officer Matthew Schneider.

The controversial traffic stop happened on July 26, 2017, but the body-camera video of what happened wasn’t released until February 2019. It shows Officer Schneider using a stun gun on a man named Johnny Wheatcroft 11 times. His attorney said that included one time in Wheatcroft’s groin area. Police said at the time Wheatcroft was yelling and resisting officers as they were trying to get him out of the car. But the video shows Wheatcroft was tangled in his seatbelt. Wheatcroft was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest but that case was later dropped.

In a lawsuit against the City of Glendale, Wheatcroft said he was tortured in a case of police brutality. Schneider was suspended for three days. He applied for retirement in 2020.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said it couldn’t look into the case because there was a conflict of interest and sent it over to the Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors there filed three counts of aggravated assault against Schneider. The City of Glendale said in a statement it’ll “fully cooperate” with any requests from the Attorney General’s Office. “The Glendale Police Department works tirelessly to maintain the respect of the community they serve,” the City of Glendale said.

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