A disgraced rookie cop facing charges he body-slammed a bicyclist and tried to frame him for assault in Times Square in July 2008 received a split verdict from jurors Thursday.
Patrick Pogan was acquitted of assaulting bicyclist Christopher Long but convicted of lying to prosecutors. Pogan had filed a report claiming that Long knocked him down with his bike. Filing a false criminal report does not carry a mandatory jail sentence and has a maximum sentence of four years.
A bystander filmed Pogan sending Long flying with a bodycheck as the cyclist seemed to attempt to swerve away from the officer. The footage, posted to YouTube, was watched millions of times. Pogan testified that Long ignored his command to get off his bicycle, then rode at him. He claimed he knocked him down in self-defense. Pogan had been on the force for just 11 days at the time of the incident and resigned shortly afterward, before being fired.
