Two Pomona police officers have been acquitted of charges stemming from the violent arrest of a teenage boy at the Los Angeles County Fair, prosecutors said Saturday.
Chad Jensen, 51, was charged in the retrial in federal court with deprivation of rights under color of law for allegedly beating then-16-year-old Christian Aguilar in September 2015. Both Jensen and Prince Hutchinson, 32, were charged with preparing false reports that attempted to justify the use of force.
The officers were also charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly giving false testimony during state court proceedings regarding criminal charges against Aguilar.
They were acquitted Friday of all charges, according to Thom Mrozek, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"While we are disappointed with the verdict, we will not be deterred from our commitment to investigate allegations of police misconduct and bringing charges when appropriate," Mrozek said.
The first trial ended in October with jurors deadlocked 11-1 in favor of guilt on all counts.
Prosecutors alleged that the officers gave false testimony similar to that in their written reports and created the false impression that the teen posed a physical threat to other officers before Jensen assaulted him.
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Two years ago, the city of Pomona paid Aguilar $500,000 to settle a civil lawsuit over the encounter at the Pomona Fairplex.
A third Pomona officer, Michael Neaderbaomer, is charged separately for allegedly attempting to dissuade Aguilar's family from pursuing an internal investigation into the arrest.
