White ex-Michigan cop found guilty in beating of black motorist
By Serena Maria Daniels
DETROIT (Reuters) - A white former suburban Detroit police officer was found guilty on Thursday of assault and misconduct in office in the beating of a black motorist during a traffic stop caught on video.
A jury in Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit found William Melendez, 47, not guilty of a third charge of strangulation from the Jan. 28 incident in Inkster, Michigan.
Melendez could be seen on a video from a police dashboard camera placing Floyd Dent, 58, in a chokehold and punching him in the head several times. It is the latest in a series of incidents across the United States that have fueled a national debate on race and policing.
The jury of eight women and four men, including seven African-Americans, deliberated for nearly five hours, beginning on Wednesday afternoon.
Prosecutors had argued during the 12-day trial that Melendez abused his position, while his attorneys argued his actions were reasonable. Melendez was fired in April from the Detroit suburb's police department.
He will be sentenced on Dec. 3.
(Reporting by Serena Maria Daniels; Editing by Mary Wisniewski, Chris Reese and Jeffrey Benkoe)
