A former assistant chief of the Miami Police Department, Lt. Thomas Carroll, was arrested on Saturday night on charges of domestic violence following an alleged altercation at his Miami-Dade County home.
According to a police report, the incident occurred around 5 p.m. at Carroll’s residence. Witnesses told police that Carroll, 47, “intentionally spit” on his wife ten times and “slapped” her twice during an argument. The altercation, reportedly part of a dispute that began on Friday, led the victim to flee the home and call authorities.
Carroll was taken into custody at 9:35 p.m. at the police department’s Downtown Miami headquarters. He was later booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGKCC) at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Appearing in bond court, Carroll faced a battery charge. A judge set his bond at $1,000 and ordered him to have no contact with his wife until the case is resolved.
A department veteran
Carroll joined the Miami Police Department on January 25, 1999. He rose through the ranks, receiving a promotion to commander in 2017 under then-Chief Rodolfo Llanes. In 2021, he was elevated to assistant chief by Chief Art Acevedo. However, in 2023, current Police Chief Manuel Morales demoted Carroll to lieutenant, appointing Chiquita F. Butler to the assistant chief role overseeing field operations.
Carroll was recently mentioned in a Miami Herald story linked to a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former Black police officer. The suit alleged Carroll had acknowledged a vendetta by Chief Morales against the plaintiff.
Assistant Chief Armando Aguilar, head of the department’s administration division, released a statement following Carroll’s arrest:
“When acts of domestic violence are perpetrated by law enforcement officers, they are especially disheartening, as they represent a breach of the sacred trust placed in us by the people we serve.”
The case remains under investigation.
