MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A former Alabama police officer is going to prison for assaulting a handcuffed prisoner.
Federal prosecutors in Montgomery say a judge sentenced former Tallassee police investigator Brandan Smirnoff to nearly two years in prison.
Smirnoff pleaded guilty earlier this year to violating the rights of a 24-year-old man he was arresting in 2016.
Prosecutors say a man, identified only by the initials J.M., led officers on a chase on a four-wheeler before stopping and lying down on the ground. They say Smirnoff then picked up J.M. and slammed him to the ground while the man was handcuff. A statement says Smirnoff also slammed the man's head into the side of a police car.
Authorities say the prisoner didn't pose a threat to police during the assault.