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Prosecutors to retry officer in alleged assault of teen
(By Los Angeles Times)
LOS ANGELES -- Prosecutors said yesterday they will retry the assault case against former Inglewood police officer Jeremy Morse, who was caught on videotape last summer slamming a handcuffed teenager onto a car and striking him in the face.

"We will retry this case to bring this matter to some sort of just resolution for the community," said Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley. "Given seven voted guilty here, it was an easy decision to make."

The decision to try the case again came the day after a jury deadlocked after three days of deliberations, telling the judge their 7-5 split in favor of conviction was insurmountable.

One juror interviewed yesterday said the discussions were contentious but civil, with all but one participant sticking to their initial judgment about Morse throughout deliberations. Given the near-even split vote, he questioned whether another jury can come to a unanimous verdict.