MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade Police sergeant accused of slapping a handcuffed teenager while serving an arrest warrant has been acquitted of battery.
The jury delivered their verdict in a courtroom at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, just before 4:30 p.m., Wednesday.
The jurors were originally deadlocked on a verdict, and the judge presiding over the case sent them back to resolve the deadlock.
“Manuel de Jesus Regueiro, the jury finds you not guilty,” a judge said in court. “I adjudicate you not guilty. Good luck to you, sir.”
7News cameras captured Regueiro embracing his defense attorney shortly after the jury’s decision was read.
“I’m very pleased that they came to the right decision,” defense attorney C. Michael Cornely. “This is a case I don’t think should have been charged. There’s plenty of reasonable doubt. I think once again, like I told the jurors, that I think good prevailed over evil.”
Sgt. Manuel Regueiro, a 20-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department, was accused of slapping a handcuffed suspect, and the apparent exchange was caught on surveillance video.
The incident occurred after officers raided Brian Crespo’s home in 2018 in connection to an arrest warrant for Crespo, who is accused of selling stolen airbags.
“The defendant admitted that he hit Brian Crespo,” prosecutor Kerrie Crockett said in court. “The victim told you that he hit Brian Crespo. The video shows you that he hit Brian Crespo.”
In the surveillance video, Crespo could be seen in handcuffs when Regueiro apparently slaps his face. The sergeant claimed his response was self-defense.
Prosecutors claimed the slap was excessive use of force based on the video and the testimony of the arresting officer, Orlando Rodriguez.
“Did he attempt to fight you?” Crockett asked.
“No, he didn’t,” Rodriguez said.
“Did he attempt to run away from you?” Crockett asked.
“No,” Rodriguez replied.
“Did he attempt to hit you?” Crockett questioned.
“No,” Rodriguez testified.
“In general, was Mr. Crespo compliant with your commands?” Crockett asked.
“Pretty much,” Rodriguez said.
“This was a justified use of force in a split moment by a person who’s trained to do these in a split moment,” Cornely said in court. “He did not take out some kind of vengeance on him by slapping him. I tried to stop him from spitting based on my training.”
Regueiro has been on desk duty pending the outcome of the trial, but it remains unclear when he will return to his normal assignment.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.