Cincinnati Police Officer Patrick Caton testified Wednesdaythat he struck Roger Owensby Jr. five times on Nov. 7, the night the 29-year-old College Hill resident died in police custody.

        He delivered two blows to Mr. Owensby's back because he wouldn't obey his command to “Give me your hands!”

Caton

        One hand was cuffed seconds after as they struggled in a Roselawn gas-station parking lot. But Mr. Owensby, who was lying prone on the ground with his face pressed against concrete, was trying to pull the hand back.

        To gain control, Officer Caton struck him another three times.

        All blows were “palm strikes,” delivered with the heel of his palm, he said at his trial on misdemeanor assault charges.

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        “He was bucking and kicking his legs as I was clinging to his body,” Officer Caton said. “He was so strong. He was struggling the entire time. I don't know if he was trying to escape or get up. It was ... a standoff. I called for somebody to Mace him.”

        Officer Caton was the last defense witness. Closing arguments are expected today. If convicted, he faces six months in prison for his role in Mr. Owensby's death. He has been working in the police division's impound lot since his indictment.

        His former partner, Officer Robert ""Blaine” Jorg, was acquitted Tuesday on a similar misdemeanor assault charge. But jurors couldn't agree on an involuntary manslaughter charge against Officer Jorg, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial.

        Officer Caton spoke calmly when he testified Wednesday. He stared at his attorney, Merlyn Shiverdecker, as he recounted how he, Officer Jorg and another officer, David Hunter, approached Mr. Owensby because he looked like someone connected with a September drug investigation.

        They had patted him down, when Mr. Owensby became nervous.

        “He wasn't making eye contact. He was looking for avenues of escape,” he said.

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