No charges filed against SLCPD officer after incident woman claims led to leg amputation

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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office says it will not be filing criminal charges against a police officer in a 2023 case where a woman claimed she had her leg amputated as a result of injury caused by police.

The incident happened on Sept. 1, 2023, when two Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) officers contacted Agnes Martinez, 57, near 400 West 1700 South. Officers elected to arrest Martinez on drug charges.

According to SLCPD, the officers made commands to stop, and Martinez physically resisted, and they went to the ground with Martinez.

Martinez claimed doctors had to amputate her leg after that incident, and she filed a civil lawsuit against the department in 2024.

According to Sim Gill, Salt Lake County District Attorney, officers took Martinez to the ground “only after she continued to actively resist arrest (e.g., pulling her arms forward and not relaxing her arms) and after verbal commands and softer physical control techniques were ineffective.”

“We believe that the officers responded reasonably based on the information known to them at the time and as the situation progressed; further, we are unaware of any evidence that the amount of force used was unreasonable given the facts and circumstances,” Gill added.