Ex-officer acquitted of lying about arrest of Black man

By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A former San Diego-area police officer who pushed a Black man during an arrest last year has been acquitted of lying on his report. Jurors returned the not guilty verdict Friday. Former La Mesa police Officer Matthew Dages testified he was truthful when he wrote in his report that Amaurie Johnson took a fighting stance after he stopped him on a trolley platform for smoking. Dages lost his job over the incident. The arrest happened two days after George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis. The tensions over the arrest, which was captured on video, exploded into violent protests in La Mesa. Two banks were torched and other businesses looted.