LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles police officer has
pleaded not guilty to beating a man with his baton while taking him into
custody outside a restaurant near Staples Center.
A district attorney's statement says 30-year-old
Jonathan Lai entered the plea Wednesday to one count of assault by a police
officer and one of assault with a deadly weapon.
Prosecutors say Lai and his partner were on patrol in
April 2012 when they approached the man who was standing alone outside the
restaurant. The restaurant's security video shows Lai repeatedly using his
baton to hit the man while the man was on his knees and holding his hands on
his head.
Lai's bail was set at $35,000. He's scheduled to
return to court in August. If convicted he could get four years in prison.
