Ex-officer who punched valet parker charged with battery

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A former police officer who punched a Florida parking valet and knocked him out is being charged with misdemeanour battery.

Court records posted Thursday show 37-year-old John Kiernan is being charged for the punch he threw to the jaw of Rodolfo Rodriguez outside a Fort Lauderdale hotel on July 25.

Security video shows Rodriguez with his hands in his pockets, but Kiernan told police he felt threatened. Prosecutors declined comment Thursday, saying Kiernan has not been served with the warrant.

Kiernan’s attorney, Guy Fronstin, did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment.

Kiernan is a former Georgia police officer. He now owns a New Smyrna Beach, Florida, gun store.

Officials at the Ocean Sky Hotel & Resort had criticized police for not arresting Kiernan at the scene.