Guard Lavar Thomas was seen in the May 2015 video punching inmate Daniel Hyers five times in the head, testifying that he believed Hyers was going to spit on him, the Times said.
Prison superintendent Michael Capra, who reported the incident to the state's Department of Corrections internal affairs department, testified that Thomas' actions were 'absolutely not' justifiable, reported the New York Times.
Despite the Thomas acquittal, he remains on suspension, the Times reported.
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