The Associated Press
Detroit (AP) -- A federal jury acquitted eight Detroit police officers Thursday of charges that they conspired to violate suspects’ civil rights by lying, falsifying reports and planting evidence.
Also Thursday, a Miami police SWAT officer was acquitted of lying when he told detectives he fatally shot a suicidal man because he thought the man was armed. Prosecutors said a toy gun was planted in the man’s back yard to justify the shooting.
The Detroit jury found the defendants innocent of all charges after deliberating for more than three days. Nearly 100 witnesses testified during the trial, which started Feb. 11. Closing arguments took five days.
Prosecutors claimed the officers conspired to violate the civil rights of suspects by lying in court to justify illegal arrests and other midsdeeds. Defense lawyers argued that the case was built on the lies of criminals who wanted to get the officers off the force.
Prosecution documents said officers William Melendez and Matthew Zani were the “masterminds” of a conspiracy to “run roughshod over the civil rights of the victims.”
David Lee, a lawyer for Melendez, said that because of the verdict, “Every police officer in this city now knows they can go out and do their job.”
“This was the criminals on the street trying to get the cops off the street,” said another defense attorney, Frank Eaman.
Nineteen officers were indicted in the case. Three pleaded guilty in exchange for leniency and agreed to testify for the government. In March, U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn dismissed charges against one of the defendants, former officer Stephen Pardo.
The other officers are expected to stand trial later.
The indictments stemmed from an investigation by the police department’s internal affairs unit, the FBI and the Justice Department into complaints from the public and prisoners about incidents from April 2000 to June 2003.
In the Miami case, Alex Macias was accused of lying to homicide investigators after he fatally shot Jesse Runnels, 25, with a three-round burst from a submachine gun in 1999.
Macias’ attorney said the officer was forced to shoot Runnels when the man stuck his hand out the kitchen window with a gun in it. A toy gun was found in the back yard, but federal prosecutors said the toy was planted.
Macias had faced up to 10 years in federal prison if he had been convicted on two counts.
“The government wasted a lot of time,” defense attorney William Matthewman said.
Carlos Castillo, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, said prosecutors would release a statement later Thursday.
Macias was acquitted a year ago of conspiring to cover up that a gun was allegedly planted after another fatal SWAT shooting. The city paid $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by that victim’s family.
It was the fifth corruption trial for Miami police officers in less than two years. Nine officers have been convicted.