SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A San Francisco police officer has been found not guilty of using excessive force in the 2019 beating of a man with a baton in a milestone case that created a rift between the police and prosecutors.

A jury on Monday found Terrance Stangel not guilty of three charges of assault and battery he faced in the beating of Dacari Spiers, a Black man who was unarmed.

Prosecutors say Stangel used excessive force when arresting Spiers. The officer’s defense says he used necessary force to subdue a violent suspect.