Former policeman pleads guilty to beating handcuffed man
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A former Alabama police investigator has pleaded guilty to beating a handcuffed man.
Brandon Smirnoff, a former investigator with the Tallassee Police Department, entered the plea Friday in federal court.
Prosecutors said the assault happened in 2016 after a pursuit involving a 24-year-old man on a four-wheeler. After the chase, prosecutors said the man laid face down on the ground and allowed several police officers to handcuff him.
According to the plea agreement, Smirnoff admitting to slamming the handcuffed man to the ground multiple times and knocking his head into the side of a patrol vehicle.
The U.S. Justice Department said the former police officer faces up to 10 years in prison.
A federal judge will sentence Smirnoff in July.