An Austin police officer, indicted for his actions during the May 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, has submitted a plea bargain proposal to the Travis County District Attorney’s office.
This plea agreement is similar to one previously offered to another officer facing charges of murder and deadly conduct linked to a 2019 officer-involved shooting, whose charges were conditionally dismissed.
Officer Chance Bretches is currently confronting multiple allegations, including aggravated assault and deadly conduct. He is among 19 officers from the Austin Police Department who were indicted for reportedly employing excessive force and using less-lethal munitions against protesters, resulting in injuries to several individuals, some of which were severe. Notably, 17 of these officers have seen their charges dismissed.
The plea bargain proposal references a recent discussion with Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, shedding light on the rationale behind the dismissal of previous cases, which has influenced Bretches’ offer.
In the proposed deal, Bretches would agree to meet all requirements necessary to become a certified instructor in the Integrated Communication Assessment Tactics (ICAT) model of use-of-force. In return, the charges against him would be dropped. Additionally, he would commit to training law enforcement cadets and/or officers as directed by the Austin Police Department or any other law enforcement agency.
This offer echoes the conditions extended to Officer Karl Krycia, who faced murder and deadly conduct charges stemming from the 2019 death of Dr. Mauris DeSilva. Krycia completed ICAT instructor training and had his charges conditionally dismissed in November 2025.
The details of this report are based on court documents filed in Travis County and prior reporting.
