CHICAGO (CN) - A Chicago police officer was sentenced to two years in prison for punching and kicking a convenience store clerk who didn't resist during a warrantless search for drugs and weapons.
A Southeast Side convenience store surveillance camera captured Aldo Brown, 39, punching the clerk in the face and kicking him in his ribs while handcuffed on Sept. 27, 2012.
The cop was at the store without a search warrant and interrogated the clerk about whether he had weapons or narcotics, according to the Northern Illinois U.S. Attorney's Office.
Brown first punched the man in the face, causing him to stumble into a cooler, prosecutors say. He later kicked the clerk in his ribs while he was handcuffing and lying on the floor.
Evidence at trial reportedly showed that the clerk was compliant with the police officer's instructions and did not resist.
Brown was convicted by a federal jury last year of one count of using excessive force. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall sentenced him to 24 months in federal prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Romero said in the government's sentencing memo that Brown's "conduct has significant ramifications for the criminal justice system."
"Sworn law enforcement officers are held to a higher standard of conduct, not merely because of the authority that they enjoy, but because society relies on their trustworthiness, their honor, and their integrity in upholding and enforcing the laws that protect the community," Romero said.
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