Homestead officer charged with domestic violence after fight with wife, officials say
A Homestead police officer’s fight with his wife over marital issues last week landed him behind bars — prompting the department to put him on leave, officials say. The domestic dispute escalated to the point where his wife had to fend him off with a shower curtain rod.
Around midnight Feb. 29, Homestead police were called to a domestic battery involving Officer Diego Quiroga, 39, and his wife, his arrest report read.
Quiroga told officers that an argument between the two over infidelity and text messages erupted. According to Quiroga, his wife took the dispute to another level when she began hitting and scratching his face and chest. Trying to push her off, he cut her left cheek.
His wife then walked into the bathroom, where he followed before calling 911 from her phone, Quiroga added.
However, she recounted a different story to officers. She was upset about a coming trip, triggering a quarrel that led to Quiroga grabbing her phone before throwing it at her, cutting her cheek, the report read.
At the time, the officers could not decide who was the aggressor between the two as they gave conflicting statements. They passed the incident over to a detective and told Quiroga to leave for the night.
The detective determined that Quiroga was, in fact, the aggressor, according to the report.
Quiroga was insistent on discussing their marital issues. When his wife ignored his attempts, he took her phone and threw it at her. When she was hit, a fight ensued that continued into the bathroom, the report read.
She armed herself with a shower curtain rod to fend off her husband.
The detective’s findings led to the Homestead Police Department arresting Quiroga, who is facing a charge of aggravated battery. No longer in jail, Quiroga was ordered by a judge to stay away from his wife.
Homestead Police said it placed him on administrative leave without pay.
Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, the union representing the department’s officers, said any arrest of an officer is disturbing.
“We would like to see all the facts regarding the allegations against the officer before we give any opinion,” he said.
Miami Herald staff writer Omar Rodríguez Ortiz contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 7:51 PM.
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