After a weeklong trial and seven hours of deliberations, an Orange County jury determined Noel Carter is guilty on two of four charges, including felony battery on a law enforcement officer.
Carter, 31, was also found guilty on a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer without violence. The jury acquitted him of a misdemeanor charge of battery on his ex-girlfriend and was hung on a fourth charge of resisting an officer with violence.
- Noel Carter is charged with battery on a law enforcement officer
- Carter was arrested in June 2015 by 2 Orlando Police officers
- Internal investigation cleared 2 officers of excessive force
- Day 1 coverage: Jury selection begins in Orlando police battery case
- Day 2 coverage: Defense, prosecution in Orlando Police assault trial say videos are key
- Day 3 coverage: Orlando Police officers take the stand in Noel Carter trial
- Day 4 coverage: Noel Carter: I feared for my life during OPD arrest
The trial began Monday with jury selection, and deliberations began around 2:16 p.m. Friday.
Noel Carter took the stand on Thursday and said he didn't think he committed a crime in June 2015, when officers said Carter was being physically aggressive against his then-girlfriend at Venue 578 in downtown Orlando.
The incident was caught on cellphone video, and it went viral last summer.
When Orlando Police officers arrived at the scene, they reported that they thought the woman was in danger. The officers tried to stop Carter from approaching her as she sobbed on the street.
The officers tried to arrest Carter, but they claim he resisted arrest and made multiple attempts to get away. The officers used a stun gun, pepper spray and kicked Carter during the attempted arrest.
Carter eventually filed an excessive force complaint against the agency, but the State Attorney's Office decided not to pursue charges against the police officers, stating their use of force in Carter's arrest to be "a reasonable response to resistance."
The entire incident stemmed from an alleged assault against Carter's ex-girlfriend, but the jury found Carter not guilty on that charge. The woman never testified in the trial.
"Domestic violence or dating violence is a complicated issue, so it was a choice we made," said Ryan Williams, assistant state attorney. "She was fully informed about the process."
The judge declared a mistrial for the first count of resisting arrest with violence, and it will be up to the state if it wants to pursue a retrial.
Carter's sentencing for the two guilty verdicts will be Sept. 26.