Keller police officer resigns after excessive force allegation for pepper-spraying a man

A Keller police officer resigned Monday after accusations he used excessive force when he pepper-sprayed a man during a traffic stop, the department said.

Blake Shimanek’s resignation comes one week after the city of Keller reached a $200,000 settlement with the man, who was arrested and pepper-sprayed in August for what the man said was retaliation for recording his son’s arrest after a traffic stop.

“While this chapter is coming to a close, the conversations and policy changes that it has inspired will continue to move us forward as a department, a city and a community,” Mayor Armin Mizani said in a written statement. “This Council and our Police Department led by Chief [Brad] Fortune remain committed to ensuring encounters like these never happen again, and we will continue working tirelessly to provide every member of our community with a sense of safety and security that reflects Keller’s values.”

Marco Puente filed a federal lawsuit late last year against two Keller police officers, Shimanek and Ankit Tomer, claiming they used excessive force against him after Shimanek stopped Puente’s son, Dillon, for making a “wide right turn.”

Shimanek was demoted from the rank of sergeant in September after an internal affairs investigation.

After body cam video of Puente’s arrest went viral last year, the city of Keller hosted two town hall meetings. The video showed Shimanek and Tomer push Puente to the ground and spray him in the face. Other videos, which had been shared by Puente’s attorneys, show how the officers ignored Puente for more than 15 minutes when he pleaded for help to wipe his eyes.

According to the lawsuit, Puente was arrested after police accused him of blocking the roadway. His son, Dillon, was arrested on a charge of making a wide turn. The lawsuit said Dillon was racially profiled when he was stopped by police.

Charges against both the father and son were dropped, the lawsuit said.

The city of Keller said last week it was pleased to have reached a settlement agreement with Puente, and that the agreement would be finalized in the weeks to come.