Defendant Pleads 'No Contest' in May Day Snare Drum Assault

A 23-year-old man who hit a female LAPD officer on the back of the head with a snare drum during a May Day protest in Downtown Los Angeles pleaded no contest today to a felony battery charge and was immediately sentenced to a year in jail.

As part of the plea agreement, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael D. Abzug also sentenced Brian German Mendoza to five years probation.

The judge suspended a three-year prison term and gave Mendoza credit for 122 days in jail since his arrest for the May 1 attack on Officer Mandee Duyanen at Fourth and Hill streets in downtown Los Angeles.

The attack, which left a dent in the officer's helmet, was caught on tape. Duyanen suffered a concussion.

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"This was a cowardly attack from the rear, entirely unprovoked, that could have seriously, seriously injured this young police officer and ended her career and even ended her life," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said after Mendoza's arrest.

Mendoza could have been sentenced to nine years in prison had he been convicted of all the charges in the complaint, which included assault on a peace officer, assault on a public official and battery. Prosecutors dropped the assault counts as part of the plea agreement.

Mendoza has several prior convictions, including misdemeanor assault on a peace officer to which he pleaded guilty in January.

The incident occurred during a protest organized by Occupy Los Angeles, whose leaders quickly tried to distance themselves from Mendoza. C