Posted on 03/02/2005 8:07:06 AM PST by SmithL
Sacramento -- As the felony assault trial of former San Francisco police Officer Alex Fagan Jr. began Tuesday, prosecutors and the defense painted two very different versions of an alcohol-fueled brawl more than two years ago sparked by one off-duty officer demanding a passer-by's steak fajitas.
Fagan is the last of three officers involved in the early morning Union Street incident to be prosecuted. The San Francisco district attorney failed to convict the other officers. One was acquitted, and charges were dropped against the other.
Assistant District Attorney Jerry Norman said Fagan, now 25, was in the thick of a dustup Nov. 20, 2002, that led to the alleged assault on Jade Santoro, one of the two men involved in the fracas with the three off-duty officers.
"Things got totally out of hand," Norman told the jury of 10 women and two men. "The police ran from the scene, and the civilians called for help."
Norman said evidence would show Fagan and his fellow officers kicked Santoro while he lay on the street near his car.
In his opening statement, Fagan's lawyer, Jim Collins, acknowledged that his client had been drinking the night of the incident but insisted Fagan was innocent.
"Mr. Fagan is not guilty of any criminal misconduct," Collins told the jury. "He's not guilty of criminal conduct that night."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Something I've never seen clearly described is, what specific actions and behaviors did Santoro engage in prior to the brawl? Inquring minds want to know.
Maybe San Francisco should ban steak fajitas, especially "assault fajitas" like those involved here.
can someone tell me what legal precedents have been set with regard to the gender make-up of the jury? 10 women and two men seems a little bit like it would prejudice the jury against a male defendant.
Yu wanna Chalupa?
Yo quiero Taco Bell!
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