Patrick Pogan, the former cop who was caught on tape slamming a cyclist off his bike during a 2008 Critical Mass ride, had been on the job only 11 days before the infamous incident. For that reason, he was part of a group of rookies instructed to simply observe the more experienced officers in Times Square on that fateful night, according to testimony from his superior, Sergeant Eric Perez. "I told them to let the detail enforce the laws," Perez said on the witness stand yesterday. "We wanted them there as backup, not to actually engage and stop."
During cross-examination, Perez backtracked somewhat, conceding that his orders may have been unclear. But the sergeant also testified that Pogan told him he had been rammed and knocked down by the cyclist, Christopher Long. And assistant DA Laura Millendorf, who spoke with Pogan about the arrest, recalled that Pogan insisted that Long "not only ignored his commands to stop, but also 'turned his bike around' to point and face the cop," the Post reports.
Millendorf told the jury, "I thought the act of charging head on into a police officer was egregious and should be the top count." And it was, though the charge against Long was later dropped after the video completely contradicted Pogan's version of the arrest. Pogan will have his turn on the witness stand today; if anyone wants to go, the trial is being held in Courtroom 733 at 111 Centre Street. (The courtroom has Wi-Fi and the judge is laid back about people using their laptops, although his popcorn policy is unclear.)
