FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A jury saw the surveillance video that cost a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy his job. It showed the deputy punching Kyle Paul who was in handcuffs.
Paul, 19, was with other suspects who were waiting to be processed. There were papers on the floor. The video shows Kevin Fanti punching him.
Despite the video recorded on June 25, 2019, at the Broward County Main Jail, the jury found Fanti not guilty of battery on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale.
“Kyle Paul was a threat. Kyle Paul was menacing. Kyle Paul was out of control and Kyle Paul hit a police officer,” Fanti’s attorney Jeremy Kroll said in court.
Prosecutors said the surveillance video clearly shows Paul striking Fanti and not the other way around. Kroll said Fanti’s actions were in self-defense.
“Kyle didn’t hit deputy Fanti back. He was shoved and his arms go up and he is handcuffed and by the law of physics, that’s what happened,” State Attorney Jessalyn Rubio said in court. “What happened here is the defendant lost his temper.”
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony decided to fire Fanti in 2019.
“There isn’t a policy that I need to see to tell me that that’s wrong,” Tony said after announcing the firing. “You don’t strike individuals in handcuffs, and you have to have a better temperament.”
After the jury’s verdict, Fainti burst into tears. Outside of the courtroom, he said he wasn’t ready to talk about whether or not he would fight to get his job back. He said he just wanted to celebrate with his family.
“It was probably the worst three years of my life,” Fanti said. “It’s all going to pass now. I thank God.”
5 p.m. report