FBI probing sheriff's deputy beating of Navajo man

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) – The FBI is investigating a case involving a San Juan County sheriff's deputy who was caught on videotape beating a Navajo man with his flashlight.

The Farmington Daily Times reports (http://bit.ly/oG78Tg) that a FBI spokesman confirmed that the federal agency was looking into the beating, but he declined to comment on specifics.

Deputy Dale Frazier was fired earlier this year after a videotape showed him slamming 22-year-old Donovan Tanner onto his patrol car face-up then hitting him a number of times with his flashlight.

Tanner later award $250,000 from San Juan County.

The beating captured the attention of the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, which said the beating was a ``clear demonstration'' of police brutality against Native Americans by law enforcement in the Farmington area.

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Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com