Tampa, FL – On September 13, around a dozen community members came to a press conference, demanding justice for Pastor Carl Soto. A local pastor, activist, and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Restoration Inc., Soto was followed and brutalized by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Alex Almaguer. He was falsely charged with resisting arrest without violence.

Deputy Almaguer brutalized Soto on August 29, 2024. As Soto was on his way to pick up his kids from school, the deputy tailed him for approximately three miles before pulling him over. With his hand on his weapon, Almaguer approached the vehicle and made the unfounded claim that Soto was driving with an illegal license plate.

Pastor Soto asked for a watch commander and communicated to Deputy Almaguer that he recently had major back surgery and needed a medically prescribed walker to walk. The deputy ignored Soto and escalated the situation even though Soto complied with his demands.

Deputy Almaguer opened the driver’s side door and pointed a weapon at Soto’s head, yelling for his driver’s license. When Soto complied, the deputy handcuffed and yanked him out of the car, brutalizing him on the side of the street. Ignoring Soto’s condition, Almaguer pinned him onto the ground with his whole body weight on his surgical incision, exacerbating Soto’s existing injuries and creating new ones.

According to hospital reports, Deputy Almaguer’s attack bent two of Pastor Carl Soto’s artificial discs, requiring a 10-day hospital stay. As of the time of this writing, Almaguer has yet to face disciplinary or legal repercussions for his actions.

Members of Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Poor Minority Justice Association, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization, as well as community members gathered to share Pastor Soto’s story to the press and to demand that Deputy Alex Almaguer be suspended, charged, and fired.

Despite enduring and surviving a life-threatening event, Pastor Carl Soto and his wife Mrs. Nidia Soto spoke to the press alongside members of TAARPR, stressing the criminal actions of Deputy Almaguer and calling for police accountability and community control of the police.

TAARPR members emphasized that this behavior and ineptitude from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is not an isolated incident, but rather a “culture of police violence.” They also condemned Qualified Immunity and the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights for legally protecting violent police officers.

The morning of the press conference, Pastor Soto and TAARPR were notified that the body cam footage from Deputy Almaguer was finally released. The footage made no difference to the demands set forth by Soto and TAARPR.

Pastor Carl Soto, Mrs. Nidia Soto, and members of the groups in attendance stood resolute in their fight to demand justice and affirmed their commitment to continue this campaign until all their demands are met.

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