- Police Brutality Watch

Two Palo Alto officers, accused of assaulting a Black man last summer, will stand trial, the Mercury News reported on Friday. Michael Kan and Craig Lee will reportedly face charges of assault under color of authority, and could face three years in prison. The trial will reportedly start on Sept. 13. The Mercury News also reported that Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Diane Northway denied a defense request to reduce the felony assault charges to misdemeanors. During a preliminary hearing in June, 60-year-old Albert Hopkins testified that Kan and Lee beat pulled him from his parked car, near El Camino Real, and beat him "like two sharks going at some blood in the water." They also pepper-sprayed him, and he suffered a shattered knee. Hopkins refused to hand over his driver's license during the incident, and was accused of being belligerent and admitted cursing. The incident prompted outcry from local Blacks that the Palo Alto police acts discriminatorily. After an internal investigation and a brief leave, both officers were back in the force, albeit in non-patrol jobs. Hopkins was never charged with any crime in connection with the incident. In March, he agreed to a $250,000 settlement from the city. [more

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