A former NYPD officer accused of punching an unarmed man 13 times while on duty is guilty of attempted assault, a Manhattan judge announced Wednesday.
Christian Zapata, 37, repeatedly hit Jerome Collins in the face and neck when responding to a December 2022 call about a child with special needs in emotional distress, according to court records and body camera footage of the incident. Zapata’s attorney said at trial that his client was using a reasonable amount of force to control an “escalating situation.” But prosecutors argued that Zapata was unnecessarily violent toward a man who didn’t pose a physical threat.
Justice Curtis Farber acted as both the judge and the jury in Zapata’s case. He found Zapata guilty of a less serious crime than the third-degree assault charge he was indicted on. The judge sentenced Zapata to time served, which means he won’t face jail time, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office. Prosecutors asked for a 60-day jail sentence…