A South Bend police officer has been arrested on domestic violence charges, while already under investigation for a previous incident involving gunfire.
Authorities say that shortly after midnight on Wednesday, officers responded to a disturbance in the 600 block of Victoria Street. Upon arrival, they discovered that 24-year-old officer Emanuel Garcia had been involved in an off-duty dispute with a woman. Police declined to release further details.
Charges and Arrest
Despite a brief struggle, officers arrested Garcia on preliminary charges of:
Domestic violence battery in the presence of a child under 16
Resisting law enforcement
Interference with reporting of a crime
Garcia was booked into the St. Joseph County Jail without bail and is awaiting formal charges from the prosecutor’s office.
Previous Investigation
Garcia, who lives in Elkhart, has been with the South Bend Police Department since 2021. However, he was already on restrictive duty—meaning he was barred from street patrols—due to an internal investigation into a September 2023 case.
That prior case involved Garcia firing his gun, leading to drug charges against a 39-year-old man.
Additionally, jail records indicate Garcia is being held for another unidentified agency. When asked for further details, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to media inquiries.
