HOUSTON – A Houston police officer named in a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging excessive use of force is now off the force.
An HPD spokesperson told KPRC 2 Lucas Vieira “is no longer an HPD employee” adding that his last day on the job was April 16, 2021.
Sources told KPRC 2 Vieira was fired and that he is appealing the decision.
Late last year, attorneys for Aundre Howard released 23 seconds of bodycam video from a traffic stop in July 2019. The clip shows Vieira and his partner, Officer Thomas Serrano chasing after a handcuffed Howard. Vieira repeatedly yelling at Serrano, “Just (expletive) shoot his (expletive)!” After the brief foot chase, attorneys say the video shows Vieira catches Howard and appears to hit him over the head multiple times while using a pair of handcuffs. Howard was heard on the video pleading with the officer to stop, saying “Alright bro! You got it, bro! You got it, bro!”
Vieira, Serrano, along with officer Nadeem Aslam, Sergeant Earl Attebury and former Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo are named in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed April 11, 2021.
Howard’s attorney, Randall Kallinen, said Vieira’s firing is long overdue and those other officers should also be held accountable.
“What that officer did is reprehensible. He should have been fired long ago. I’m just so sad and took all this publicity, in order to get something so simple, accomplished. You will see other officers who were present, watching all the different violations. This is that blue wall of silence. You also have to punish those who knew about it, and did nothing,” Kallinen told KPRC 2.
A spokesperson said Vieira was previously on administrative duty. HPD said Serrano and Aslam are still on active duty.