Jury says Arkansas ex-officer didn’t use excessive force

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(AP) _ A federal court jury has ruled that an Arkansas police officer didn’t use excessive force against a man under arrest and handcuffed when the man fell on his face at a county jail.The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the jury ruled Wednesday in favor of former officer Justin Deleon and the city of Fort Smith.

The ruling comes after a lawsuit filed by 44-year-old Clarence Leonard Scott against Deleon and the city. The lawsuit centers on injuries Scott suffered in April 2014 when he fell onto the concrete floor at the Sebastian County jail.

Scott alleges Deleon used excessive force and deliberately flung him face first to the floor while he was handcuffed.

Deleon says he wasn’t slamming Scott to the floor but was actually trying to catch his fall.

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