Frank Nucera, who retired as Bordentown Township police chief while under FBI investigation, was charged with civil rights and hate crime charges.
TRENTON, N.J. - A federal jury has deadlocked in the trial of a white former police chief charged with a hate crime against a handcuffed black suspect.
A judge declared a mistrial Friday after jurors couldn't reach a verdict on hate crime assault and deprivation of civil rights charges.
On Wednesday, they had convicted Frank Nucera on a separate count of lying to the FBI.
Authorities alleged the former Bordentown Township police chief smashed the 18-year-old's head into a doorjamb while he was being escorted by two officers from a hotel in 2016. They said the assault was driven by racial hatred.
Nucera's attorney argued that some officers wanted to get rid of Nucera because of his tough disciplinary policies.