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Two-Week Trial Expected In Floyd Dent's Inkster Police Beating Case

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A judge says a trial is expected to last about two weeks for an Inkster police officer seen on video repeatedly punching a motorist in the head during a traffic stop.

Jury selection begins Monday in the case of 47-year-old William Melendez and Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Vonda Evans said that's expected to last two days.

The Detroit News reports 90 prospective jurors will be impaneled. Opening statements are Wednesday.

Melendez, who is charged with assault, was fired by the Inkster police department after the Jan. 28 incident in which 57-year-old Floyd Dent is seen on dashcam video being pulled from his car and repeatedly punched.

[VIDEO: Inkster Police Dashcam Violent Arrest Of Floyd Dent]

"He choked me so hard I couldn't breathe. I kept choking five or six times, I couldn't breathe," Dent said, during pre-trial testimony.

Floyd Dent - Inkster police beating
Floyd Dent talks about the incident captured on a police dash-cam video. (WWJ/Stephanie Davis)

Prosecutors said they weren't aware of the beating until WDIV-TV aired the video weeks later and it subsequently went viral online, drawing protests.

Melendez denies any wrongdoing. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Charges of cocaine possession and resisting an officer were dismissed against Dent, a 37-year Ford employee, who claimed police planted the drugs. He reached a $1.4 million civil settlement with the city.

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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