Jury Selection Set In Former Pittsburgh Police Sgt.'s Civil Rights Case
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jury selection is set to begin in the trial of a fired Pittsburgh police officer facing civil rights charges that he wrongly beat a drunken man and then lied about it in a report.
The jury picked starting Monday will hear evidence when the trial of former Sgt. Stephen Matakovich starts May 22.
Matakovich faces charges of deprivation of civil rights and falsification of a document. He claimed the man appeared ready to attack at a high school football championship game at Heinz Field in 2015. Surveillance video showed the man with his hands at his sides and not advancing when he was pushed down and struck by Matakovich.
A federal judge has barred uniformed officers from the courtroom after prosecutors raised concerns that could influence the jury.
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