Border Officer Acquitted in Excessive Force Case
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A U.S. border officer was acquitted in Buffalo of violating a Chinese tourist’s civil rights when he pushed her head into the pavement and pepper-sprayed her.
Government prosecutors said Homeland Security officer Robert Rhodes used excessive force against Zhao Yan, 38, a businesswoman from Tianjin who was touring Niagara Falls in July 2004.
Rhodes told investigators that he believed the woman might have been associated with a drug suspect and ordered her inside the Niagara Falls inspection station, but she took off running. He said he followed procedure in subduing her.
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