Chicago cop used racial slur and shoved guard at Florida resort, deputies say
A Chicago police officer visiting a resort in Florida was arrested and accused of battering a security guard, deputies said.
Dwayne Ocasio, 32, got into a confrontation with a security guard at Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo in River Ranch when he was told to move a golf cart out of the middle of the road, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a June 17 video.
Ocasio cursed at the guard and used a racial slur, then shoved the guard, Judd said. Ocasio told the guard he was a Miami police officer, according to Judd, but deputies later learned where he actually worked.
Deputies were called to the resort and went to Ocasio’s room. They knocked on his door for 15 minutes before a woman answered, Judd said.
Deputies asked to speak to Ocasio, then the woman closed the door, Judd said.
“After about 10 minutes of knocking on the door and saying ‘Polk County Sheriff’s Office,’ this guy from inside said, ‘who the blank is the Polk County Sheriff’s Office?’” Judd said. “He said, ‘I don’t give a blank what the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, or who the sheriff’s office is.’”
Ocasio eventually opened the door and was arrested, according to Judd.
“Now he knows who the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is,” he said.
Ocasio was taken to the Polk County Jail on a battery charge, jail records show. He was released the same day.
During his arrest, deputies learned that Ocasio is a Chicago police officer in the 15th district, which covers the city’s west side.
In response to his arrest, the Chicago Police Department removed Ocasio from patrol in the 15th district and placed him on the Alternate Response Section, which handles non-emergency reports, a spokesperson for the department told McClatchy News in an email.
“I bet the people of Chicago are not happy with him using a racial slur and battering somebody and giving our deputies a hard time,” Judd said.
River Ranch is about a 90-mile drive southeast from Tampa.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Chicago cop used racial slur and shoved guard at Florida resort, deputies say."
