photo by: Mugshot courtesy of the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office

Elijah Joseph Garcia is pictured with the Douglas County Judicial and Law enforcement Center.

A man accused of beating and pistol-whipping people in a car and again on his front lawn was found not guilty Thursday of six felony charges, including aggravated battery, in Douglas County District Court.

The jury returned its verdict early Thursday afternoon in the case of Elijah J. Garcia, of Lawrence, after a trial that began on Monday. He was accused of initiating an attack on a woman and her boyfriend as the three drove back to Lawrence — with a 5- or 6-year-old in the car — from an Oktoberfest event in Topeka on Sept. 21, 2024.

During the trial, the jury heard testimony from the female passenger in the car and from Garcia himself, and saw a video of a gun being slammed into the side of the driver’s head and loudly discharging. Garcia testified on Wednesday that he had been acting in self-defense after the driver and female passenger attacked him while he innocently sat in the backseat of the vehicle.

This is a developing story and will be updated.