Man Gets 6 Months in Jail for Spitting on Officer

A Los Angeles man who threw malt liquor on a Los Angeles police officer and then spat on him was sentenced to six months in jail, prosecutors said Friday.

Howard Lockhart, 42, pleaded no contest to one count of battery on a peace officer. He was also found to be in violation of his probation from a criminal conviction last year.

Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta sentenced Lockhart to serve 180 days in jail and three years of summary probation for the July 7 incident.

Prosecutors said that Lockhart, carrying a radio in one hand and a 16-ounce can of malt liquor in the other, walked up to two officers who were investigating a purse-snatching on the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and 35th Street and began screaming obscenities.

When police ordered him to step back onto the sidewalk, Lockhart hurled the liquor at one of the officers, soaking him with the drink. Then, as the officer moved to arrest him, Lockhart began spitting at the officer.