SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio Police Department detective was suspended after getting in a bar fight, fleeing the scene and failing to immediately report it to his supervisor, according to suspension records reviewed by KSAT Investigates.
Detective Bryan J. Cox, who has been with SAPD since 2001, served his five-day suspension in November 2025.
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Records show the suspension stemmed from a fight around 1:30 a.m. on May 18, 2025, at Fair Oaks Roost, a bar and grill at 9091 Fair Oaks Parkway.
Cox is accused of getting into physical fights with several people inside the bar, according to suspension paperwork. The fight started as an argument between Cox and another man, which escalated into shoving and punching.
Records state Cox pushed the man, who fell and hit the back of his head. Cox was also seen repeatedly pushing other people who were “trying to calm the situation.”
Fair Oaks police were called out to the bar, suspension records state.
The bar manager told investigators she told Cox that she called the police and needed him to stay in the building. The manager said she heard Cox tell his wife that another couple knew the bar’s owners and they needed to “leave before the cops get here.”
Records state dash camera footage from Fair Oaks police shows a truck matching the description of Cox’s truck left the parking lot as they pulled in with flashing lights.
The next day, suspension paperwork states Cox told a supervisor he “had been involved in a disturbance.” SAPD rules and procedures state officers need to immediately self-report to their supervisor if there are any disturbances that require or could require a law enforcement response.
In a report, Cox wrote that he “felt that it was best for us to get out of the situation for our safety and so we could assess if we needed medical attention.” Records show Cox said the bar owners knew how to get ahold of him “so they or the police could get in touch with me if need be.”
SAPD investigators found Cox used the Texas Crime Information Center in June 2025 to check on his personal car, which records show is a violation of department policy.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
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