BROWARD COUNTY, Florida — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Miami Regional Operations Center arrested Mathew Eisenberg, 39, of Wellington, Fla., for battery, falsifying a police report and official misconduct. Eisenberg is a detective with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
FDLE began its investigation at the request of the State Attorney’s Office with the cooperation of Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrest stems from a Nov. 12, 2011 incident in which Eisenberg was attempting to arrest a suspect for soliciting money and obstructing a roadway. Arrest documents, written by Eisenberg, say the suspect tried to flee, causing Eisenberg to use force during the arrest, which resulted in the suspect’s cut lip.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office began the initial investigation after multiple BSO employees came forward and contradicted Eisenberg’s account. Witnesses told BSO that following the arrest, after the suspect was handcuffed, the two exchanged words and Eisenberg allegedly leaned into the police cruiser and punched the suspect in the face, which caused the cut to his lip.
Witnesses also say when the suspect began spitting blood in the vehicle, Eisenberg opened the vehicle door, ripped the suspect’s shirt and used part of the torn shirt to clean the blood from the window.
Eisenberg was booked into the Broward County Jail. The case will be prosecuted by the Broward County State Attorney’s Office Public Corruption Unit.