Fort Worth Police Officer Caught on Videotape Repeatedly Kicking Latino Man in the Head found GUILTY

A former Fort Worth police officer was found guilty Thursday of a civil-rights violation for repeatedly kicking a drug suspect during a 2000 arrest that was videotaped from a Police Department helicopter. A federal jury returned the verdict against Ruben Ruiz on a charge of deprivation of civil rights that resulted in bodily injury. Ruiz repeatedly kicked David Davis Jr. in the head while Davis was being arrested after a high-speed chase from Fort Worth to Arlington on Sept. 13, 2000. Ruiz resigned in March 2001. Sentencing is set for July 25, with Ruiz facing a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Ruiz stared straight ahead without emotion as U.S. District Judge Terry Means announced the verdict by the jury of six women and six men in Fort Worth. The jury deliberated for about 2 1/2 hours. The courtroom was filled with Fort Worth police officers and relatives and friends of Ruiz. "The video was hard to get around," said Greg Westfall of Fort Worth, Ruiz's attorney. "You do all you can."According to prosecutors, Ruiz repeatedly kicked suspect David Davis Junior while he was lying face down on the ground and being held down by five other police officers. Prosecutors say Ruiz then stood on the suspect's head with the full force of his body. [more] and  [more]