Two fired Houston police officers accused of beating a black teenage burglary suspect during an arrest that was caught on video were each sentenced Wednesday to two years of probation as part of plea agreements.
Ex-officers Phil Bryan, 47, and Raad Hassan, 43, each entered pleas of no contest to a misdemeanor charge of official oppression. The two men had been set to go to trial on Monday. If convicted at trial, each ex-officer had faced up to a year in jail.
State District Judge Ruben Guerrero accepted the former officers’ pleas and sentenced them to two years of deferred adjudication, a form of probation. If the men complete their probations without getting into trouble, their convictions will be dismissed.
The beating of then-15-year-old Chad Holley prompted fierce public criticism of the Houston police department by community activists, who called it an example of police brutality against minorities.
Four officers were charged; one was acquitted last May and another officer’s case is still pending. Holley was convicted of burglary in juvenile court.
Defense attorneys and the special prosecutors appointed to handle the case all said the plea deal for Bryan and Hassan was fair.
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