Ex-officer acquitted of assault in 2020 encounter with racial injustice protester in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former Philadelphia police inspector has been acquitted of assault in the use of a baton during an encounter with a protester during a racial injustice demonstration in 2020. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports jurors in Philadelphia acquitted 57-year-old Joseph Bologna on Wednesday of charges of simple assault and possessing an instrument of crime. The defense said called the use of force a “quick decision” in a “rapidly evolving” situation and that the protester was struck on the back, not the head. Bologna was originally charged with multiple counts including aggravated assault and reckless endangering, but one judge dismissed the charges and another judge later reinstated only two counts.