Federal suit names Georgia officers who punched, kicked man

By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A man who was punched and kicked in the head by Georgia police officers during a traffic stop four years ago has filed suit. The lawsuit alleges the stop was unjustified and that officers used excessive force against him. Gwinnett County Sgt. Michael Bongiovanni and Officer Robert McDonald were fired a day after the April 2017 traffic stop when video surfaced. The lawsuit names them, former Gwinnett County police chief Butch Ayers and the county. Phone numbers for the former officers couldn’t be found. Ayers said via email that he disagrees with many of the allegations, but cannot comment further because it’s under litigation.