Finding him guilty of misdemeanor assault, a judge said a NYPD officer "gratuitously" stomped on a suspect's head as fellow officers tried to handcuff the man.
Officer Joel Edouard was convicted Friday after a non-jury trial at state Supreme Court in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors said the 38-year-old officer had stopped Jahmiel Cuffee in July 2014 after spotting him drinking on the sidewalk and possessing marijuana.
"This police officer, in broad daylight and in front of a crowd of people, stomped on the head of a suspect while he lay on the ground, subdued and surrounded by other officers," said Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson. "That's why he was indicted, put on trial and convicted. His conduct was simply outrageous."
Prosecutors said Edouard was caught on a bystander's video pulling out his gun and then stomping on Cuffee's head as the man was face down on the ground, subdued by other officers.
Edouard has been suspended from the police force.
His attorney said after the verdict that Edouard deserves to keep his job.
