Officer Indicted on Assault, False Report Charges
A Manhattan Beach police officer accused of beating a man after a traffic stop has been indicted by the Los Angeles County Grand Jury on charges of assault by a public officer and filing a false police report, the district attorney’s office announced Wednesday.
Eric Edward Eccles, 26, pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday before Superior Court Judge David Wesley. The judge released Eccles on his own recognizance and ordered him to return July 17 for trial. Eccles faces a possible state prison sentence of three years and eight months if convicted.
Eccles is accused of beating Daniel Wayne Chance on Dec. 29, 2001, after he and another officer stopped him on Rosecrans Avenue for a suspected traffic violation.
Officers who witnessed the traffic stop reported Eccles’ actions.
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