A North Miami police officer is facing a domestic battery charge following a fight with his wife over the weekend, officials said.
Alfred Bryant, 43, was arrested Saturday night following the fight at the home he shares with his wife and three children, a Miami-Dade police report said.
Bryant was booked into the Miami-Dade jail and later released. Attorney information wasn't immediately available. The officer is on paid administrative leave.
According to the arrest report, Bryant's wife told officers they got into a heated dispute in their kitchen that escalated to a physical altercation. Bryant said the dispute began when he arrived home and became upset over his wife making food for herself but not feeding the children dinner, the report said.
During the fight, Bryant threw soapy water in her face, and she grabbed a frying pan and waved it at Bryant before setting it down, the report said.
After she set it down, she claimed Bryant grabbed her around the neck, flipped her onto the floor and struck her head on the floor twice, the report said.
Bryant claimed that when his wife waved the frying pan at him, it caused his hand to raise out of the water and possibly splash his wife, the report said. Bryant said his wife walked toward him with the frying pan so he grabbed her wrist and put his arm around her neck, but lost his footing and they both fell to the floor, where they fought for control of the frying pan, the report said.
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The report said Bryant has been with the police department for the past 14 years. He was named the department's "Officer of the Month" in November 2013 after the arrest of a man who was armed with a stolen handgun.
North Miami Police Department said it could not comment on the on-going investigation.
Bryant's arrest adds to the string of negative headlines for the department since last July, when an officer shot an unarmed man who was caring for his autistic client. And, last week, the NBC 6 investigators exclusively obtained audio tapes of the police chief from a statewide investigation into that shooting case. Chief Gary Eugene was heard expressing concern over his officers' actions.
