By Kevin Deutsch
A former Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy caught on video punching and slamming a teenage boy’s head into the pavement during a 2019 arrest in Tamarac was acquitted of criminal charges by a jury Monday.
After the incident, Christopher Krickovich was fired by Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony and lost his bid for “Stand Your Ground” immunity before an appeals court this year. After his criminal trial, however, jurors acquitted him of misdemeanor battery on a juvenile.
Krikovich was one of two BSO officials criminally charged in the rough arrest of then 15-year-old Delucca Rolle. Both men have won their legal cases.
Sgt. Gregory LaCerra, who was shown on video pepper-spraying Rolle, won a motion in June dismissing the remaining criminal charges he faced: falsifying records and conspiracy to falsify records.
LaCerra’s court victory followed a February win in which an appeals court found he was justified in his use of force under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, upholding the ruling of a Broward County judge.
As a result, prosecutors were forced to drop a battery charge they had filed against LaCerra.
The incident happened outside Tamarac Town Center, where Krikovich and LaCerra said they felt threatened by a chaotic atmosphere that included frequent fights.
The men, along with witnesses, described a charged atmosphere in the area on the day of the incident and in the months before, including fights among large groups of J.P. Taravella High School students.
Jurors found that Krikovich’s actions during the arrest did not meet the legal threshold for battery, siding with the ex-deputy over Broward County prosecutors.
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