Ohio officer found guilty of assault on Black Drive during a traffic stop in 2017

EUCLID, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio police officer has been found guilty of assaulting a black motorist during a traffic stop in 2017.

A jury deliberated for nearly five hours Friday before finding Euclid Officer Michael Amiot guilty of assault and interfering with civil rights, both first-degree misdemeanors, Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer reported. He was cleared of another assault charge.

The video showed Amiot, who is white, repeatedly punch the driver, Richard Hubbard III, during a traffic stop in suburban Cleveland in August 2017. The police union alleged Amiot used reasonable force to control Hubbard when he resisted arrest and injured the officer.

Amiot was fired, but an independent arbitrator ordered his reinstatement a year later. The city of Euclid last year agreed to pay $450,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit in the case.

The Fraternal Order of Police/Ohio State Labor Council said in a statement that it was disappointed by the Euclid Municipal Court verdict.

“We remain confident that Officer Amiot’s actions were reasonable under the circumstances, and we continue to support him,” said Dave Trend, president of FOP Euclid Lodge #18 and board member of the Ohio FOP/Labor Council.

Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer said he hopes the decision “can begin to bring closure to all parties affected by this five-year process.”

“The dedicated and hard-working men and women of the Euclid Police Department continue to serve with dignity and selflessness during an extremely challenging time for our community and our profession,” Meyer said, pledging that the department “will move forward and continue to serve our community with integrity and transparency.” .