A federal jury in Broward ruled against two brothers who accused Fort Lauderdale police officers of using excessive force during a confrontation at the brothers’ home in 2017.
Raymond and Randall Purcell accused officers Alexander Paul and Steven Pohorence of mistaking their Star Trek memorabilia for actual weapons when they were called to look into minor damage that was done to one of their cars.
The brothers sued the officers in 2021.
According to the Purcells, the officers physically struggled with them after they became upset that the damage to their car was not significant enough to warrant criminal charges.
Pohorence gained notoriety in 2020 when he was accused of shoving a kneeling protester during a Fort Lauderdale demonstration in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, one of the most significant catalysts of the Black Lives Matter movement at the time. Pohorence was acquitted of wrongdoing in that 2020 case.
A federal jury on Monday decided in favor of Pohorence and Paul on Monday.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.
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