A 25-year veteran San Antonio police officer stood in a parking garage and, according to the arrest affidavit, raised his gun at a departing car and fired — shattering its rear window while a witness rolled video. This week, Officer Mark Castillo was booked on a second-degree felony charge for it.
It started September 26th at the La Cantera shopping center. Castillo, off-duty, got into a parking dispute with a DoorDash driver who was trying to leave the garage. According to the arrest report, Castillo lifted his shirt to reveal the handgun tucked in his waistband and asked the driver: “What do you want to do?”
The two men were on the verge of a physical fight when a bystander stepped in and separated them. Then, investigators say, Castillo fired.
His Story And The Video Don’t Match
Castillo told investigators he only displayed the gun and broke the car’s window with his hand. But the witness video — and surveillance from the garage — show him raising the weapon before it discharged. Castillo left the scene before police arrived; investigators identified him later from the footage.
He appeared before a judge Friday and was officially booked into the Bexar County Jail, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon — a second-degree felony. SAPD has moved him to administrative duty while both a criminal investigation and an internal review are underway.
The Record Nobody Acted On
Castillo’s file shows two prior scandals — and no discipline for either.
In 2024, KSAT Investigates reported he was under an internal investigation for exchanging inappropriate messages while on duty — while assigned to the police chief’s own security detail. He was the second member of that detail accused of such conduct since 2021. And records show he discharged his firearm during an on-duty encounter in May 2025. He was never charged for it and never disciplined.
One officer. Two internal scandals nobody acted on. Now a felony charge — and the question a lot of San Antonio residents are asking: who was supposed to be watching Mark Castillo?
Arraignment and court dates are expected next; this page will be updated as the case moves.
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