NEW ORLEANS – Two white New Orleans police officers have been fired after they were accused of beating a Hispanic man who they allegedly called a “fake American.”
News outlets report that 24-year-old Spencer Sutton and 26-year-old John Galman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of simple battery.
Authorities say the rookie officers were off-duty when they attacked Jorge Gomez outside a bar early Tuesday. Gomez’s face was badly bruised and his forehead required stitches.
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Gomez, who says he was born in the U.S. and grew up in Honduras, told reporters that the officers were angry that he was wearing a military camouflage-style outfit.
He says they called him a “fake American” and beat him after he said he’d served in the military.
Sutton’s attorney Jake Lemmon said his client and Galman, “maintain their innocence.”