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Second Video Shows Much More of Cop Bike Bodyslam Arrest
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 20, 2010
Modified Apr 20, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 20, 2010
Modified Apr 20, 2010
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The lawyer defending a rookie ex-cop accused of assaulting a cyclist and falsifying a police report told jurors yesterday that the infamous videotape of the incident "doesn't give you a 360 degree view of what occurred, it just shows you a small snippet. He wasn't injured at all, he got back up, never went to the hospital, refused medical attention, attempted to get away. Often police work does not look pretty but he was just enforcing the law." But later, prosecutors showed the jury a second, never-before-seen video. Taken by a man riding behind Christoper Long, it gives a fuller view of what happened immediately before and after Officer Patrick Pogan violently knocked Long to the curb:
Pogan's lawyer is arguing that Long was disrupting traffic and creating a dangerous situation as he participated in the 2008 Critical Mass ride. According to the defense, Long was riding erratically and tried ram Pogan, but this second video shows Long riding legally through the intersection because traffic was stopped at the light. Before Pogan knocks him off his bike, he raises both arms in the air and cheers. The video seems to undermine the defense argument that Long was trying to hit Pogan or behaving differently from other cyclists; in fact, it shows him swerving away from Pogan.
After getting knocked down, the video shows an unhinged Long attempting to run away from Pogan, who seems completely inept when it comes to arresting someone. It took several cops to subdue Long, during which time he yelled, "Assault me!" In testimony today, Long explained, "By exhorting them to assault me, I wanted the situation to go all the way. I was just really, really hyped up and very excited and it seemed like the next thing that was going to happen was that I was going to get punched out. And I didn't want to wait for that to happen." For good measure, he also told Pogan he had herpes.
During cross-examination, Long admitted he was discharged after four years in the Army after testing positive for marijuana. Pogan's lawyer sought to discredit Long, asking, "Right now, how often do you get stoned?" Long replied, "Nick-bag-a-day... That would be a five dollar bag—that's why they call it a nick bag." Well, now it's quite clear that these deceptive videos have only confused things: If Christopher Long smokes grass, the jury must give Pogan a pass!
Tagged
christopher long
patrick pogan
trial
video
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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