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 William Melendez, 47, has pleaded not guilty to charges of
misconduct in office, assault with intent to do great bodily harm,
and strangulation during the Jan. 28 incident in Inkster, Michigan.
During his testimony at the trial in Wayne County Circuit Court,
Floyd Dent, 58, struggled to answer questions because he said his
injuries have made it difficult for him to process information. Dent
said he begged for Melendez to stop and feared for his life.
Melendez could be seen punching Dent in the head several times on a
police dashboard camera video, one of a number of incidents across
the United States that have fueled a national debate on race and
policing.
 Melendez, who could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if
convicted, was fired in April from the Detroit suburb's police
force. Prosecutors said Melendez abused his power in the incident.
Melendez's defense attorney, James Thomas, urged jurors at the start
of the trial to keep in mind that his client had been conducting
surveillance in a high-crime area and said that Dent's movements fit
those of someone fetching drugs. Thomas also said Dent resisted
arrest.
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Dent testified that he had driven to Inkster that night to pick up
beer and liquor for a friend and his girlfriend, but denied under
cross-examination that he was high on cocaine at the time.
Dent earlier this year reached a $1.4 million settlement in a civil
lawsuit against Inkster, which has a majority black population but a
majority white police force.
(Reporting by Serena Maria Daniels; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and
Sandra Maler)
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