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Female LAPD Officer Convicted Of Assault For Kicking, Shoving Handcuffed Woman Who Later Died

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — A Los Angeles police officer was convicted Friday of assault by a public officer for kicking and shoving a handcuffed woman who later died.

The jury reached its verdict after two days of deliberations in the trial of Officer Mary O'Callaghan, 50. She pleaded not guilty to assault under color of authority in the 2012 arrest of 35-year-old Alesia Thomas.

Officers went to arrest Thomas at her home after she left her two children outside a police station.

A dashboard camera in a police cruiser captured O'Callaghan kicking the handcuffed Thomas in the backseat seven times in the groin, abdomen and upper thigh, prosecutors said. Thomas lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Alesia Thomas
Alesia Thomas, 35, was pronounced dead on July 22, 2012, hours after officers tracked her to her South Los Angeles home to arrest her on suspicion of child endangerment. (Photo credit: CBS)

The 228-pound Thomas resisted arrest, according to a report by the Police Commission.

O'Callaghan's attorney said she never had a complaint against her upheld during her 19 years on the force and had an exemplary record.

O'Callaghan was not charged in Thomas' death. She has been relieved of duty without pay pending an administrative hearing.

An autopsy found Thomas had cocaine in her system, but the cause of death was listed as undetermined because the struggle couldn't be excluded as a contributing factor. There were no internal injuries or bruising.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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