Fort Worth police corporal accused of impeding a relative’s breathing is arrested

A Fort Worth police corporal assaulted a relative and was arrested in the city on Wednesday morning, the department said.

Cpl. Mark Force was off duty when he was involved in a domestic disturbance, police said.

The offense was classified by the department as an assault “committed by intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of the person by applying pressure to the person’s throat or neck or by blocking the person’s nose or mouth.”

Force has been employed by the department for seven years. A department spokesperson declined to say at what time or location it alleges that the assault occurred or whether the victim was taken to a hospital.

The Internal Affairs Unit began an administrative investigation. Force was placed on restricted duty and stripped of police powers. The case will be submitted to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office for review.

Force is the second Fort Worth officer who has been arrested this month in connection with a domestic violence crime.

The Rio Grande County Sheriff’s Department arrested Cpl. James Howard in Colorado on May 15, when he was off duty, Fort Worth police have said.