An Alabama police officer acquitted of using excessive force on an Indian man still faces state and federal charges, but legal experts say the outcome of the civil rights trial will likely influence the approach to those cases.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala granted a motion to acquit Madison police officer Eric Parker Wednesday after two previous trials ended in hung juries.
Parker was accused of violating 58-year-old Sureshbhai Patel's civil rights when he slammed him to the ground during a suspicious person investigation in February.
Parker has said Patel resisted him. Patel has said through an interpreter that he doesn't speak English and didn't understand Parker.
University of Alabama associate law professor Jenny Carroll says Parker's attorney will likely use the acquittal to support his remaining cases.