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Judge Dismisses Most Serious Charges In Case Of College Park Beating

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Video captured by a student in a nearby dormroom shows officers Reginald Baker and James Harrison striking UMD student John McKenna repeatedly.
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Video captured by a student in a nearby dormroom shows officers Reginald Baker and James Harrison striking UMD student John McKenna repeatedly.

The trial of two police officers involved in the beating of a student at the University of Maryland following a basketball game in College Park could soon go to jury, but the defendants already have won a small victory, as the judge threw out the two most serious charges against the pair.

Circuit court judge Beverly Woodard dismissed charges of first degree assault against the two Prince George's County police officers.

Reginald Baker and James Harrison are accused of beating a drunk, but unarmed University of Maryland student during a chaotic near-riot involving hundreds of other students in College Park, Md, striking him even as he lay prone on the ground.

The judge ruled that the student's cuts to the head were not serious enough to warrant the charges. Baker and Harrison still face second degree assault charges and misconduct as a result of the beating, which was captured on video.

The two officers were indicted last year following an FBI investigation.

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