Jury acquits 2 Indianapolis officers of beating veteran

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A jury has acquitted two Indianapolis police officers of battery after they allegedly assaulted a veteran, leaving him unconscious outside a bar.

The jury found 42-year-old John Serban and 48-year-old Michael Reiger not guilty Wednesday.

Court documents say security camera video shows the off-duty officers beating 29-year-old Air Force veteran Bradford Bohanon. The man argued with a bartender over his tab, and when Serban told him to leave, Bohanon grabbed the officer's badge and threw it. The video shows Serban putting Bohanon in a chokehold for nearly a minute.

During the trial that began Monday, defense attorneys said the officers acted in self-defense to bring Bohanon under control and diffuse the situation.

The officers have been suspended without pay, pending a recommendation of termination to the Civilian Police Merit Board.