Maryland Officer Gets 6 Months in Jail for Punching Handcuffed Man

An officer with the Prince George's County (MD) Police Department has been sentenced to six months behind bars for punching a man who was handcuffed in the back of a squad car.

According to WTOP Radio , Corporal Stephen Downey was sentenced to five years with all but six months suspended.

A lawyer for Downey had argued that the man was agitated and aggressive, and that Downey was concerned about being butted in the head.

The incident occurred in October 2018 and Downey was found guilty of assault in August.