Riviera Beach police officer resigns after arrest for aggravated assault

RIVIERA BEACH – A Riviera Beach Police Department sergeant resigned from the force this week after being arrested on charges related to an October 2023 incident in which he allegedly attacked another man with a handgun while off duty.

Russell Byrd, 55, was taken into custody on Thursday, June 20. He faces one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The police department released a statement the following day announcing that Byrd had resigned.

“We want to assure the community that we are committed to holding our officers and staff accountable for their actions,” Police Chief Michael Coleman said in a prepared statement. “This incident does not reflect the values and standards of the Riviera Beach Police Department. We are committed to building and maintaining trust in the community we serve.”

During a hearing on Friday, June 21, at the Palm Beach County Jail, District Judge Daliah Weiss assigned Byrd a public defender and set his bail at $5,000. He remained in custody that afternoon, according to jail records. As a matter of policy, the county public defender’s office does not comment on open cases.

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According to a police report from the Palm Beach County District Attorney’s Office, Byrd and a 29-year-old man were involved in an argument on the afternoon of October 2, 2023, while Byrd was investigating a theft report from a friend and neighbor.

Investigators said a woman who lives near Byrd told him a theft had just occurred at her home and gave a description of the vehicle. Byrd, who was off-duty at the time, searched the area on his own and found a vehicle matching the description in the parking lot of a motel in the 5800 block of North Military Trail, the report said.

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Byrd relayed his location to a dispatcher and a second officer was sent for backup. Investigators say Byrd then approached a vehicle in the parking lot and began talking to a woman sitting inside. He was not wearing any clothing identifying him as a police officer, the report says.

Byrd and the woman reportedly exchanged words moments before the 29-year-old man approached and began speaking to him. Seconds later, Byrd pulled a semi-automatic pistol from his right pants pocket and struck the other man in the face with it, the report said.

The officer who arrived at the scene rushed to Byrd’s aid to arrest the 29-year-old, who suffered two minor cuts to his face and was taken to JFK North Medical Center in West Palm Beach for treatment.

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Byrd told investigators the other man approached him in a threatening manner. However, video from a dashboard camera appeared to contradict Byrd’s account, as it only showed the other man standing next to Byrd and talking to him, but not approaching him, the report said.

State records show Byrd was hired part-time by the department in December 1994 and promoted to full-time less than a month later. He retired in 2006 but was rehired in 2008.

In 2012, Byrd was investigated for another off-duty incident in which he was accused of assaulting a man who had come to his home. Byrd was placed on administrative leave pending the Police Department’s investigation. He returned to work and was not criminally charged in that incident.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for the Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at[email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at@JuliusWhighamSupport our work:Subscribe today.

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