BALTIMORE (AP) - A Baltimore police officer has been cleared of first-degree assault and misconduct charges.
Earlier this year, Officer Kevin Battipaglia was charged by the state’s attorney on allegations stemming from a Christmas Eve arrest of a 21-year-old man. The law enforcer was suspended without pay.
Prosecutors say the officer intentionally clubbed the fleeing man with his baton, fracturing his jaw and knocking him unconscious. The officer’s defense lawyer argued it was an accidental collision.
On Thursday, the city’s police union said Battipaglia was found not guilty on all counts at his trial where a judge reviewed body camera footage.
Prosecutors and the officer’s defense attorney could not immediately be contacted for comment. The injured man was not called to testify.
Battipaglia has been a Baltimore police officer for five years.
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