Moorhead Officer Matt Lambert Strikes Again. Literally

Moorhead Officer Matt Lambert Strikes Again. Literally

By Cindy Gomez-Schempp November 16, 2018

Jen Thomas was assaulted by 33 year old officer Matt Lambert of the Moorhead, PD on September 9, 2018 after police were called to a Buffalo Wild Wings reporting Ms. Thomas was suicidal and brandishing a BB gun. Officers took Thomas to Sanford Health where while handcuffed to a bed, officer Lambert assaulted her with his elbow breaking her nose and leaving her with a big black right eye.

Court documents originally stated that “As officers tried to place a seatbelt around Thomas in a squad car, she spit in an officer’s face” and that she had to be pepper sprayed. Moorhead Police Deputy Chief Tory Jacobson added that when at Sanford Health “she again became agitated and spit in another officer’s face” and that “as the officer restrained Thomas, her head hit the side of a bed resulting in the injury to her eye”.

Further investigations revealed that detectives found that it was actually officer Lambert who struck Thomas with his elbow while she was handcuffed. Although Lambert was arrested and charged with a crime, no mug shot was available of the officer’s arrest and the Moorhead PD declined to comment. He was placed on administrative leave. But, Moorhead PD and City Council knew since April of 2016 that Lambert had assaulted an unarmed woman during a welfare check.

Cop Block has previously featured Officer Lambert in April of 2016 when he assaulted another unarmed woman, Isabel Escobedo, during a welfare check at her home. You can view the story and the video in which Lambert holds a handcuffed Escobedo while she yells his name and badge number to her friend videotaping, who was also allegedly assaulted by police that day.

https://www.copblock.org/158526/domestic-disturbances-one-familys-struggle-with-police-brutality/

After the incident occurred in April of 2016, KPPP-LP radio reported the story of Isabel Escobedo who alleged ongoing harassment by police in Moorhead, and the neighboring city of Fargo due to her initial reports of police abuse of power after her 15 year old daughter was arrested by 13 cops claiming they smelled marijuana emanating out of the vehicle they dragged her out of.

The story made national news and embarrassed the Fargo PD, who had to take down their Facebook page due to the negative press about their arrest of Escobedo’s daughter. All charges were later dropped against Escobedo’s minor daughter, but harassment by police did not end, including the use of a SWAT team, a traffic stop where cops pulled 3 handguns and pointed them at passengers including a 3 year old toddler. The brutal incident involving officer Matt Lambert in April 2016 was reported the the Moorhead City Council and Mayor at the time. Then Chief Ebbinger denied the incident reported to the council the next day on radio station KFGO.

Testimony given to the Moorhead City Council April 25, 2016