Pressure Mounts on Travis County DA Over Officer Case

Law enforcement agencies in Texas are urging Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza to step down amid controversy surrounding a case involving Officer Chance Breches, particularly linked to the George Floyd protests in 2020.

A report from Breitbart News in 2022 highlighted that George Soros, a billionaire with left-leaning views, had financially supported Garza and other local prosecutor races to promote candidates advocating for “criminal justice reform” and the Black Lives Matter movement.

According to Fox News, Officer Breches’ legal team submitted a motion on Saturday to dismiss the case against Garza after allegations emerged that his office had violated constitutional rights and compromised the integrity of the ongoing proceedings.

The officer faced charges of aggravated assault by a public servant for his actions while managing crowd control during the unrest in downtown Austin.

Garza’s lawyers later claimed that he relied on the agency’s “less-lethal” bean bag rounds, arguing that the equipment was faulty and may have contributed to the injuries cited in the case. Additionally, it was reported that Garza’s team allegedly failed to reveal confidential discussions regarding potential criminal charges against the city itself or its law enforcement officials.

Currently, groups like the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) and the Austin Police Retired Officers Association (APROA) are demanding Garza’s resignation, criticizing his anti-police stance.

In a statement released Tuesday, CLEAT Executive Director Robert Leonard said that Garza “willfully and knowingly deprived Officer Breches of his constitutional right to a fair trial by failing to disclose material information to his attorney.” He emphasized the need for a comprehensive investigation into whether Garza’s office inflicted breaches of the Michael Morton Act, suggesting that if Garza valued his integrity, he would resign immediately.

When asked by a CBS Austin reporter about the significance of this case, Breches’ attorney Doug O’Connell remarked, “Because if it can happen to a police officer, to young people running toward danger, if it can happen to them, it can happen to any citizen.”

A prior report from Breitbart indicated that Garza had also indicted a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officer in February while allowing a career criminal being pursued to go free.