Reading to settle in case of man beaten by officer

READING, Pa. - January 10, 2013 (WPVI) -- The city of Reading has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who had his skull fractured when he was beaten by a police officer with a flashlight.

The Reading Eagle reports the city has agreed to settle with Francis Nunez for $250,000.

Nunez was beaten in May 2009 in what he says was a case of mistaken identity. The officer, Mark Groff, had been looking for a suspect and thought Nunez matched the description. Police say he ordered him to stop, but Nunez took off.

Authorities say Groff hit him three times with a flashlight. Groff was fired a month later for other reasons; he says Nunez reached for an object in his waistband that he thought was a knife.

City solicitor Charles Younger declined comment on the settlement.

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Information from: Reading Eagle, http://www.readingeagle.com/

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