Baltimore Police Officer Vincent E. Cosom, who was caught on city surveillance footage beating a man at a North Avenue bus stop, pleaded guilty to assault Friday and was sentenced to six months in jail.
Shaun Owens, Cosom's attorney, said his client had an "unblemished record" before the incident and was a veteran police officer.
"This was quite simply a lapse in judgment," Owens said after the plea.
The sentence, which includes another four and half years suspended time, was handed down as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
The incident happened in June and came to light in September when the victim, Kollin Truss, filed a lawsuit against the police. Cosom and Truss had been in an verbal altercation that appeared to be winding down until Cosom approached him and dealt out the beating.
The video showed Cosom landing a series of heavy blows on Truss, sending him lurching backward at one point. Truss was arrested but officials at Central Booking said he was too injured to be put in jail and ordered medical treatement, according to the lawsuit.
Two other officers were involved in the incident and police said their actions were also under review, but their status was not clear Friday.