By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A Manhattan jury will begin deliberations Tuesday in the trial of an ex-NYPD officer charged with shoving a cyclist to the ground and lying on arrest reports about the excessive force used during the incident.
Patrick Pogan, 24, was caught on video pushing Critical Mass-cyclist Christopher Long, 31, to the pavement on Seventh Avenue during a Friday night ride on July 25, 2008.
Pogan, who was working in Times Square on foot patrol at the time, was only in uniform for 11 days when the incident happened. He resigned from the force shortly afterward.
Jurors at Pogan's trial have seen two pieces of footage — one captured by a tourist and the other by a participant in the ride.
Pogan said he was instructed to stop rowdy cyclists and that Long had deliberately ignored his instructions to pull over.
The ex-police officer also claimed he was knocked over by Long and was defending himself. He later recanted that version of the story.
But Prosecutors said the inexperienced officer fabricated his alibi after realizing the repercussions his physical assault of Long would have.
Pogan then continued to tell his false version of the story and authorized police and court documents pertaining to charges against Long that he knew to be incorrect, prosecutors charged.
"He wasn't knocked down — he didn't fall down after that [contact]," said Assistant District Attorney Ryan Connors in closing arguments. "He simply minimized his role with a complete fabrication."
Pogan faces up to four years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges.
