LOS ANGELES : Mistrial Declared for Two Ex-Baldwin Park Officers
A mistrial was declared this week in the excessive-force trial of two former Baldwin Park police officers after a Los Angles Superior Court jury failed to decide whether the officers beat a burglary suspect during an arrest three years ago.
The jury deliberated for 5 1/2 days in the trial of Louis Price, 38, and Kenneth Shearen, 29. Thy were accused of beating convicted burglar Gilbert Gutierrez on Feb. 11, 1991, after a gas station mini-store was burglarized. Jurors voted 6 to 6 to convict Price and 7 to 5 to convict Shearen.
The former officers, who were dismissed from their jobs for using excessive force, return to court Feb. 17. The district attorney’s office will seek a retrial. But defense attorneys called the case “ludicrous,” saying that medical evidence did not support the beating allegations.
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