San Marcos police chief requests Texas Rangers investigate police officer tasing incident
The San Marcos Police Department.
Photo by Gabriel Romero
A police chief in the Hill Country has requested the Texas Ranger look into a 2021 incident of police officer misconduct. San Marcos Police Chief Stan Stanridge sent an email to the Texas Rangers on Friday, June 24, asking them to look into the unauthorized use of a taser on a San Marcos resident in 2021, according to a Mano Amiga news release.
In January 2021, former San Marco police sergeant Ryan Hartman used a taser on Albian Leyva, who was complying with officers commands during a traffic stop, according to a lawsuit filed by Leyva against Hartman and the City of San Marcos on June 14. During the traffic stop, Hartman said, “I’m going to tase this guy,” to the officer on the scene and proceeded to use the taser on Leyva.
Documents from the Caldwell/Hays Examiner show the police chief asked Texas Rangers in an email to find out if “Hartman committed an offense when he used the taser.” Stanridge goes on to say in the email that he didn’t know if Leyva filed a complaint to the police department or the district attorney’s office. A misdemeanor charge against Leyva had been dropped, according to the Mano Amiga news release.
Leyva’s lawsuit details how he complied with police when Hartman used a taser on him for “no reason” and without any warning, according to a MySA report.
“Chief Standridge made the correct move in requesting the Texas Rangers investigate the violence perpetrated by Hartman against Al, which very likely could result in Hartman losing his badge and therefore that looming dangerous opportunity for Hartman to use it to harm other Texas communities beyond San Marcos,” said Sam Benavides of Mano Amiga in the release.
Hartman also gained notoriety after killing Jennifer Miller and severely injuring Pam Watts in a 2020 off-duty car crash where Hartman reportedly had an open beer in his truck. Mano Amiga is a grassroots group that has long clamored for accountability for Hartman’s “criminal conduct.”
MySA reached out to San Marcos and Mano Amiga for comment.
