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A prominent African American judge has filed a complaint against two UCLA police officers, accusing them of using excessive force when they pulled him over for not wearing a seat belt.

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A file photo shows Superior Court Judge David S. Cunningham III when he served on the Los Angeles Police Commission. (Credit: Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David S. Cunningham III, a former Los Angeles Police Commission president, said the officers shoved him against his car, handcuffed him, locked him in the back of their police cruiser and told him he was being detained for resisting arrest.

Cunningham’s complaint does not attribute the incident to his race, but his attorney said race was clearly a factor in the officers’ behavior.  “Do you think this would have happened if he was a white judge?” the attorney, Carl Douglas, said Monday, calling for both officers to be removed from the field immediately. UCLA said it is investigating the incident.

The 60-year-old judge, dressed in a black gym shirt and shorts, was pulled over as he was leaving L.A. Fitness in Westwood about 10 a.m. Saturday.

Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.