Considering that the charges were a complete fabrication, it was only a matter of time before the victim, Christopher Long, would be cleared. No word yet on the fate of the arresting officer, Patrick Pogan, who was stripped of his badge and gun after the incident. Long’s attorney says that that he plans to sue the city of New York, and civil rights lawyers are recommending that Pogan be charged with assault and perjury.
From the New York Times:
Prosecutors are expected to drop criminal charges on Friday against a bicyclist who was pushed off his bike in July by a police officer in Times Square, said Mark M. Taylor, a lawyer for the bicyclist. The encounter was captured on amateur video.
The bicyclist, Christopher Long, 29, was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct on July 25 during a monthly ride called Critical Mass. The arresting officer, Patrick Pogan, wrote in his report that Mr. Long had been weaving in and out of traffic and that he had tried to hit the officer with his bicycle.
One Comment
yay critical mass, all the more reason for these bicyclists to wear helmets!