Judge declares hung jury in videotaped beating case
Second officer not guilty of false report charge
Tuesday, July 29, 2003 Posted: 5:50 PM EDT (2150 GMT)
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A California judge declared a hung jury Tuesday in the police brutality case against a white former officer who punched and slammed a handcuffed black teenager onto a squad car during a videotaped arrest.
The jury deliberated more than three days without reaching a verdict in a case that raised racial tensions and drew comparisons to the Rodney King beating.
Jeremy Morse, who was fired from the Inglewood Police Department after three years on the job, had faced one count of assault under the color of authority. If he had been convicted, he could have faced a maximum sentence of three years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.
Morse's partner, Bijan Darvish, was acquitted of filing a false police report. He had also faced three years in prison.
Morse was caught on amateur video shot last summer that showed him picking up then-16-year-old Donovan Jackson, slamming him onto the trunk of a patrol car and punching him in the face -- all while the teen was handcuffed.
Morse had been on the Los Angeles suburb's police force for three years.
The jury was deadlocked 7-5 in favor of conviction in the case against Morse.
Upon hearing of his acquittal, Darvish and his attorney banged their fists on the counsel table and quietly uttered "yes" as the verdicts were read.
Someone in the courtroom yelled, "No justice here!" and was silenced by Superior Court Judge William Hollingsworth Jr., according to a report from The Associated Press.
On Monday, jurors asked for a clarification on the instructions given to them by the judge about how to determine whether the use of force was "lawful and necessary."
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And during more than four hours of deliberations Thursday, the jury asked that the entire testimony of the prosecution's "use of force" witness -- a member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department -- be read back to them.
The arrest sparked protests, raised racial tensions and led to comparisons to the Rodney King beating.
While the jury was deliberating, a coalition of government, church and community leaders urged calm. The Associated Press reported that hundreds of volunteers, including some former gang members, planned to flood the streets after the verdict to plead for peace.
People standing outside the courthouse on Tuesday during the verdict held signs saying "Peace After the Verdict," hoping to prevent riots like the ones that devastated the city after four white police officers were acquitted of state charges in the videotaped beating of King in 1992, according to the AP.
If you haven't seen the video (living in California, I have seen it repeatedly), at least pay attention to the fact that this officer was shown slamming the teen onto a car and punching him WHILE THE TEEN WAS HANDCUFFED.
I don't understand "justice" in America.
Happyout (who is not very happy right now)