A Seguin police officer involved in a high-profile confrontation with a teenager was fired last month following a separate excessive force investigation.
Seguin Police Chief Jason Brady fired Patrol Officer Michael Godinez on June 18 for violating the department’s use of force policy response to resistance and aggression, Lt. Michael McCann said.
The termination followed a May 20 call where Godinez reportedly violated three of the department’s general orders, according to a termination letter Brady signed that The Seguin Gazette obtained.
“An officer should use only the force that is necessary and reasonable under the circumstances. An officer shall not use force in response to mere verbal provocation or abusive language directed at the officer. Officers shall never use deadly force except to protect themselves or others from serious bodily injury or death,” Brady wrote in the letter.
Seguin Police Lt. Marcos Martinez filed a formal excessive use of force complaint against Godinez for the May 20 incident.
According to the complaint, Godinez and other officers responded about 2:40 a.m. to an assault-in-progress call at a local apartment complex. Godinez arrived first and someone directed him to a suspect who a family member was holding down on the bedroom floor, the complaint read.
“Officer Godinez has the other subject move away and goes to take control of the subject to place handcuffs,” Martinez’s complaint reads. “The subject appeared to be passive on video, refusing to roll over and be handcuffed. It is not clearly visible on BWC (body-worn camera) from Ofc Godinez’s viewpoint; however, it appears the subject was struck several times on the back side of the head.”
Police eventually arrested the man for family violence and resisting arrest, according to the complaint.
The May complaint was not the only one Godinez received since joining the department Aug. 24, 2023, according to personnel records obtained by the Seguin Gazette.
On Dec. 2, 2025, a woman — whose name police redacted from the complaint — alleged Godinez was rude while he worked security at Jefferson Elementary School in the city.
“Officers Godinez allegedly interfered with a crossing guard while she was crossing students and was rude to her in the process. The crossing guard threatened to quit,” the complaint reads. “The principal requested that Officer Godinez not be allowed to return to her campus, Jefferson Elementary.”
According to the complaint, the department removed Godinez from working security at the school.
In the Sept. 25, 2025 incident, which later went viral on social media, Godinez stopped a teen on an electronic bike at about 10:55 p.m. for allegedly failing to stop at a stop sign. The youth’s grandmother complained that Godinez used excessive force against the minor and caused the teen to suffer a concussion.
“This officer appears to be on a power trip or has a chip on his shoulder,” the grandmother Cindy Savini wrote in her complaint.
After reviewing the incident and complaint, Brady said he saw no use-of-force issue that was improper.
Still, Godinez received additional complaints in his almost three years with the department. They ranged from improperly disposing of drug paraphernalia to not reporting to his shift when scheduled to work and failing to complete a police report, according to the reports. Godinez in December received a one-day suspension for ignoring a supervisor’s direct order.
“As we discussed, in law enforcement, following orders is not a matter of personal preference; it is essential for operational safety and organizational cohesion,” Brady wrote in a letter included in the officer’s personnel files. “Failure to follow instructions undermines the chain of command and can compromise the safety of both your fellow officers and the public you serve.”
Also included in Godinez’s personnel file were a compliment for a job well done helping a citizen and his selection as the 2024 Seguin Police Department Top DWI Enforcement Officer of the Year.
Despite the commendations, the department moved forward with Godinez’s termination.
“Effective immediately, you are hereby terminated from employment with the Seguin Police Department.”
( CHIEF JASON BRADY DID NOT FIRE THIS OFFICER WHEN HE SLAMMED A CHILD WHO WAS RIDING HIS BIKE TO THE GROUND AND CAUSED THE KID A CONCUSSION. BRADY FAILING TO DO SO WAS FOR ONE REASON ONLY-TO PREVENT CIVIL LIABILITY. BRADY CHOSE TO PROTECT HIS OFFICER AND THE CITY FROM LIABILITY RATHER THAN PROTECT THE CHILDREN OF SEGUIN. SEGUIN CITIZENS PAY CHIEF BRADY 100k a year and the city manager Steve Parker they pay 300k. NEITHER MEN FELT THAT PROTECTING CHILDREN WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PROTECTING THE CITY FROM A LAWSUIT.)
SEPTEMBER 25 MARKS THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF A SEGUIN PD OFFICER SLAMMING A CHILD TO THE GROUND OVER AN ALLEGED TRAFFIC VIOLATION.
THE KID WAS RIDING HIS BIKE CITIZENS