Former deputy who punched, slammed teen acquitted of battery

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida deputy has been acquitted of a misdemeanor battery charge related to a viral video showing a Black teen being pepper-sprayed and slammed to the ground during an arrest. The Sun Sentinel reports that a Broward County jury found Christopher Krickovich not guilty Monday after about three hours of deliberations. A then-15-year-old student from J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs was arrested at a Tamarac McDonald’s in 2019. Deputies had responded to a large brawl involving roughly 200 students. Prosecutors argued that Krickovich acted illegally during the arrest, while a defense attorney told jurors that the former deputy responded appropriately to defend himself during a mob situation.