Police brass order investigation after reviewing arrest tape

Sandusky police administrators have ordered an internal investigation into the arrest of a man who led a high-speed chase through the city Friday.
Sandusky Register Staff
Sep 27, 2012

Police officials planned to talk to Officer Sean Orman about the arrest, during which Orman punched suspect Juan Recio Jr. in the face.

But after reviewing additional video of the arrest recorded by a cruiser camera, administrators said Thursday they've ordered an internal investigation involving several officers who were present for the arrest. 

All of the officers involved will remain on duty during the investigation.

*See other video of the arrest here

Recio was captured after fleeing from police at 4 a.m. Friday at speeds exceeding 80 mph through city streets. Recio stopped his car at Milan Road and McKelvey Street where he then led officers on a foot chase.

The video picks up right as Orman catches up with Recio.

Recio was later charged with reckless operation, obstructing official business, failure to comply with the signal of a police officer, operating vehicle intoxicated, reckless operation and no seat belt.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of Friday's Register.



Good job SPD, thats what this town needs. We would much rather see this video and know that we took another scumbag off the street.


Everyone knows that if you run you will get a beat down when caught. That's in ANY police department. I say don't commit a crime and the rest is moot! The investigation will find that the only one wrong was the suspect and IMO that would be correct!


Really? We are going to blast our LE once again? As a citizen of this once very nice city, I have to also be on the side of our LE! I say thank you to all of them. Let's see, some creep is out at 4 a.m. recklessly driving drunk, running from police at 80 miles an hour through our city streets, not obeying police orders and we are once again siding with the criminal? What a joke! I am so sick of this. No wonder this town is going to HE!!. I will never understand why everyone is so quick to "feel sorry" for our criminals. What???? One need not wonder why there is no respect for our LE anymore. Why obey laws? Why obey/respect an officer? Let the poor guy go, maybe next time he can kill someone! Needless to say, I side with our officers. And thank them very much for their thankless, not to mention very dangerous job they do for US. We might as well all be criminals, why not? What do you have to lose? Stay safe out there all of you officers who are now being investigated for doing your jobs!


Regardless of where you stand on this - there must be something in there that isn't quite right or there would not be an investigation done by the SPD. It's as simple as that. Let's see what the investigation shows AFTER it is completed - then I'll comment. It did seem like there was just a little overkill in the way the suspect was handled.

As for those who believe this is a really bad guy for driving 80 thru the city - why not say the cops should not have chased him? maybe he would have slowed down then. There are two ways to look at all of this. The investigation will show the true outcome of what's happened here.


Sanduskysteve while there are some instances in which you might be right, in most, you're wrong. Investigations are warranted, or even required, under a host of circumstances. For example, if an officer shoots somebody, no matter how legitimate the shooting is, there's at least a general investigation. In this case, the police hit a suspect. Of COURSE there's an investigation! It could show wrongdoing on the part of the police, but the USUAL outcome proves the bad guy had to be violently subdued because he wouldn't submit to arrest otherwise.

As for suggesting the police shouldn't have chased somebody who might have slowed down if the cops weren't on his heels, that's just too silly for further comment.


Check out this mornings Toledo news. This dude in Sandusky was fortunate.


Tru Grit

This while I am thinking "hey this guy lead the police on a chase then ran, should get whatever is coming to him." Then my better judgement comes in. Working for the state with DYS, I am not even a police officer and know certain things are not right to do. They should have never thrown a single punch at this man. If he is resisting back up and give him a taser shot. For a little bit, I was thinking Sandusky had got their s**t together, I guess not. Orman is not the only one using excessive force, this is sad. SPD again you have proven that some of your officers think its 1892 and not 2012. If I was this individual I would get a good lawyer and make sure while I take my punishment some punishment be taken on the officers too. The cops are the one that are suppost to live by a higher standard of moral conduct, this shows they are not better then some of the crooks they arrest.


So why isn't it ok for an officer to hit a man with his fist, but they are issued clubs or baton to strike a person with? Just curious why it makes a difference.


I think the clubs and batons are meant for a defensive action - rather than an offensive tool. They can be used against animals to defend themselves. They can hold up the baton along their forearm to prevent injury if someone is attmepting to hit them with something. I'm still not completely sure that the force used was absolutely needed and it appears that their superiors are in agreement with me on this one.


I believe you are wrong. Check out this website http://www.asp-usa.com/powerpoin.... It is a link to the leading club/baton manufacturer in the US, and provides powerpoints detailing proper ways and places to hit a suspect to subdue them. Their wording is... "designed to teach public safety professionals how to most effectively use our products to subdue suspects and protect themselves on the streets." So again, my question is, why are officers issued these to strike a person, but using their fist in the same manner is cause for an investigation? And why is the force uneeded, as it took that amount of force and that many officers to cuff this man?

Julie R.

Tru Grit: Best comment.

Intelligent Citizen

@Tru Grit- If you would've read the previous comments you would've known the several punches thrown by one of the officer were common peroneal strikes which are justified by the action response force continuum. As for the punch thrown by Orman. The man just led officers on a police through downtown Sandusky at 80mph, and then begins fleeing. Orman had no idea whether or not the man had a weapon, so he felt the need to control the man by using force. Also, Orman initially missed with his taser which makes that argument obsolete. And yes jes1413, they have asp's (practically batons or nightsticks) which could've been used, but in a spur-of-the moment situation such as this, it doesn't appear that he would've had time.


I completely agree with you, I'm just trying to illustrate for the incompetent that striking an individual is something officers are enabled by their superiors to do. Every officer is issued, at no cost to that officer, an ASP. It is also part of their OPATA training.


Many of us in this city have had it with the "inmates" running the town while the cops are unable to do their jobs because of complaints, harassment or the like. It is time we took this town back from the criminal element and if it means that the cops throw punches, so be it. One officer, Orman, did so and many of us applaud him for what he did. Should he chose to call him self the "pitbull", let him. Why not. Many of the criminals around here have them. Why not the us, the law abiding souls of this town. Ok, so ours walks upright and carrries a nightstick and tazer. Big deal. Our doesn't bite, he punches. Deal with it.
The main point is, he sees to our safety from you dumb criminal types who invade our streets at 4 am driving drunk and selling or using drugs. Too bad, sad. I guess from now on, it sucks to be you! As for the "brass" downtown and the Ms. Ard from her office. You best let OUR "pitbull" be, because we are backing him up for what he does. We like him a LOT. Stay away from his type of law enforcement. If we didn't want him, we would say so....and if you don't know that by now, you either cannot read or don't want to read the SR.
So I suggest you give him a few treats and send him back out there because as far as many of us our concerned, he is doing just fine. If you "brass' people are so afraid of the possible consequences maybe we should get people to replace YOU who can stand up to those consequences.....and you know perfectly well who I mean....they have initials.
Anyway.....I have said all I am going to for right now. And as for YOU, Mr. Westerhold. If you thought trying to discredit this cop was going to be easy.....guess again. Not this time and not now. Shame on you again. And don't try and pull that PRE RECORDED BETWEEN THE LINES junk again with a so called scheduling routine. It won't work a third time. Not everyone is quite a dumb as you seem to think.


@ Informed
only fools was suggesting I apply to our fine citys dept-as far as I know theres what 2 or 3 females employed at SPD-sexist maybe but considering I don't jump over that side of the fence I'm good thanks I'll pass on your suggestion of trying it and it being fun. The grass is plenty green on my side. Now is that too sexist for you also or just part of human sexuality-enlighten me if u feel it necessary or are you aware of what I'm referring to?

Only on the beach

Really blue...? What an ignorant comment. Sooo not only are you a sexist towards male officers but also the females ? Sounds like you have a grudge against law enforcement.


Good job boys! Glad you all made it home safe!


Sandusky spd have to do what they have to do too many crazy things have been happening in sandusky ohio lately.


I am alright with everything but the kick in the face. There was already 6 SPD's there. The guy is getting tased why kick him in the face?


I am fine with everything that happened Except the kick in the face while the guy is being tased. At that point there is no reason to kick anyone in the face.


THEDON, He was never kicked in the face in the report it states the officer was going to use his foot to push him back down but determined it was not needed, it also verifies in the printed version today he was not kicked in the face


The SPD did what had to be done to keep us and the officers safe well handled cant say i would have done it any different.Good job .


What if, because obviously there was no way for Officer Orman to know, the guy did have a gun and when struggling he shot officer Orman? Then what? Would it be another Officer Dunn (not downing him in ANY way shape or form, so please don't take this out of context) shooting all over again. Or what if the gun shot through the wall who's house they were right next to and shot an innocent little child. If he would have just stopped his car in the first place and Officer Orman did his traffic stop then all this would'nt have happened.
All of you can easily badmouth these Officers SOOOOO FAST... but when push comes to shove "IF" anything should happen to you.... BET YOU CALL 911! And whatever they might have to do to save your life.... Bet you would be grateful too!
I'm glad our Guys got to go home SAFELY to their families that night!

shbamn1's picture

There are a few of them officers looking a little scrawny. Thats why they were unable to hold him down but that blow to the face you can clearly see nothing in the mans hands. Some of it a little uncalled for but dude needed his butt beat. Good job SPD.


I agree that at that (punch to the face) point officer Orman could see that his hands were empty, he hit him to keep him down and to keep him from running. (His taser had already been spent). When Reico continued to try to struggle to get away, that is when the other officers arrived and Reico was tucking his hands under his body. No one could know whether at that point if he was reaching into his pockets and or waist for a weapon. So the tussle begins. Yeah, some of the less experienced seem to just be following the lead but thankfully experienced officer West remained composed and by using his taser and getting the mark, the rest were able to eventually get things under control. Good work.. It may not have been pretty, but it was clean!!


They may have been able to see there wasn't anything in his hands, but when he was on the ground with them under his body, they couldn't see that he wasn't reaching for anything in his pockets/belt. And at least the "scrawny" officers haven't had too many donuts.


In any other jurisdiction this man would have probably been killed. NO more officer injuries because some crackhead has a gun or some dope to ditch before the cops get him stopped. Nice work SPD we got your back. Keep it up.


Just a comment about his speeding claim. 80MPH??? I watched the video several times - there is no way that car was going 80 MPH at any point in the chase. Too many short distances with 90 degree turns. At one point it is possible the car made it up to possible 50 - and although that is speeding - an 80 MPH high speed chase was stretching things a little too much for me. The chase didn't even last long enough.

Someone mentioned that they could have hit and killed a kid playing - at that time of the night??? There should be no kids out in the streets at that time of the night. The suspect didn't almost hit anything - not even a car - it appeared he ran a couple of stop signs as well. Also, the tape of the "beating" was very enlightening to me. It's no wonder that the Chief is investigating this. And it does appear that one of the officers kicked him in the head - it wasn't a very hard kick, but a kick anyway. This situation should not have escalated this far if Orman would have had his proper equipment with him. But, I still believe that if the suspect had a gun - he would have used it and not tried to hide it behind his back - he was far enough ahead of the cops to make use of it. He didn't appear to be much of a threat - but more of an excuse for a cop to hit him and then try to get away with it. And I don't bash the cops unless they do something stupid - in this case I think at least two of them possible did something stupid.


Kudos, Sean! WOOF WOOF lol

@ the scrawny officer comment.... It's all because apparently to weed out the overweight cops they (OPOTA) set the standards so only people who can run fast can become cops. Usually, the fast runners are skinny aka scrawny. So guys with some brawn to them can't get certified since they can't run fast enough.