A Hartford police officer faced a judge on Monday after he allegedly assaulted two people while off duty on Sunday.
Hartford police said they were notified of an off-duty incident involving 26-year-old Joven Gonzalez around 7:20 a.m.
The investigation alleges that Gonzalez assaulted a former domestic partner and her acquaintance at a Hartford motel early Sunday morning.
According to police, Gonzalez's former domestic partner suffered minor injuries from the assault. Her acquaintance sustained cuts on his head as a result of being hit by a gun. He sought medical attention before calling police.
During the investigation, authorities said probable cause was developed to arrest Gonzalez. He is facing charges including assault, reckless endangerment, threatening and criminal mischief.
The judge issued a no contact order between Gonzalez and the alleged victims, as well as GPS monitoring and a $50,000 bond. He is next due in court on Oct. 7.
This is not the first incident Gonzalez has been connected with. In July, he was accused of leaving Hartford while on duty to confront a teenage girl that he had a relationship with.
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A 911 call was made on July 29 by a witness who claimed to have seen Gonzalez grabbing the girl.
The girl told investigators that the officer, who arrived in his cruiser and police uniform, punched her twice in the stomach, according to the police report. Gonzalez denied threatening or hitting her and Bloomfield police closed their investigation without arresting anyone.
“These alleged actions are egregious and totally disqualifying and this officer should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Hartford mayor Luke Bronin said in a statement Monday morning.
After Sunday's arrest, Hartford police said Gonzalez has been suspended without pay. He has also been stripped of his police powers and badge.
"I am deeply concerned with the allegations regarding the off-duty incident involving Officer Joven Gonzalez. I immediately ordered Officer Gonzalez be suspended without pay and had his police powers suspended as well. This incident does not represent the Hartford Police Department as a whole or the outstanding officers that work here. I want to commend the men and women of the Hartford Police Department that worked swiftly to investigate this case and make an arrest," Interim Police Chief Jason Thody said in a statement.
Gonzalez started at the police academy in August 2017 and has been an officer since March 2018.
The internal affairs division is also investigating the incident.
