ERIE, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania man whose arrest prompted a federal civil rights probe is now on trial on charges including aggravated assault, disarming a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
The Erie Times-News (https://bit.ly/2i6E0Ww ) said the defense argued in opening statements in northwestern Pennsylvania’s Erie County on Tuesday that officers “beat” Montrice Bolden during the July 2016 arrest.
One officer testified that Bolden punched him in the face. Another said Bolden flicked a lit cigar at him, and he felt a “violent tugging” at his belt and later found his sidearm magazine on the ground.
Surveillance videos of the arrest shared on social media prompted questions about police conduct. The U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil-rights investigation but announced in April that no criminal civil rights charges would be brought.
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Information from: Erie Times-News, https://www.goerie.com
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