INGHAM COUNTY, Mich. — The former Kent County Deputy accused of assaulting a paralyzed man in a road rage incident last August has been found not guilty.
Marcelo Aranda was found not guilty in a Ingham County courtroom Monday following a two-day trial.
The case stems back to Aug. 19, 2022, when Aranda, who was off-duty at the time, pursued Tyler Lueken and attempted a citizen's arrest after he says Lueken was driving erratically on I-96.
That incident, which was caught on a cell phone, resulted in Aranda approaching Lueken's vehicle yelling and eventually pulling him out and punching him on the ground.
Aranda believed Lueken was drunk during the incident. Lueken was later charged with a DUI.
Aranda was fired from the Kent County Sheriff's Office a month after the incident.
Cell phone video filmed by Lueken's girlfriend was shown in court. The video shows Aranda hitting Lueken multiple times, even pressing him under the steering wheel, something that was said to make it difficult for Lueken to breathe due do being paralyzed.
Aranda's lawyer claimed Lueken hit Aranda before the filming began.
On Friday, the prosecution argued that Aranda abused his position as a police officer, attempting to do police work in an area that was outside his jurisdiction.
The jury came to a decision on the case shortly after closing arguments finished.
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