12:21 AM CST on Thursday, February 9, 2006

By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA-TV

WFAA-TV

James Waghorne taped an officer spraying mace at a homeless man's face for what he said seemed like no reason.

A City Hall police officer was caught on tape spraying a homeless man with mace and then throwing him on the ground in what appeared to be an unjustified confrontation Tuesday in front of the Day Resource Center.

James Waghorne said he always has his camera ready to take pictures of the homeless, and he was the one who captured the incident after he saw the officer and Darren Green arguing.

"I couldn't believe what I was watching," Waghorne said. "My hands were shaking. He just literally attacked Mr. Green."

The video showed Green walking away when Officer Ronald Matlock sprayed mace in his face and then wrestled him to the ground.

"He was bleeding from his hand, and of course all the mace in his eyes," Waghorne said. "He was trying to wipe that out. He was thrown against the chain link fence...and he had marks on his back."

City officials who saw the tape said Officer Matlock's behavior was unacceptable.

"I expect the behavior of all our employees to treat all our citizens appropriately [and] respectfully and this does not appear to be what happened," said Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm. "...We will not accept that at all."

Green wasn't arrested, but he was given a ticket for disorderly conduct.

Waghorne got Green's reaction shortly after the incident.

"He came outside and started harassing me, and I told him I wasn't bothering anybody," Green said.

Advocates said officers have been mistreating the homeless since the city declared a zero tolerance policy on illegal behavior by the homeless.

"It is an open hunting season on the homeless," Waghorne said.

E-mail rlopez@wfaa.com