Florida Officer Who Was Filmed Shoving A Kneeling Black Protester Has Been Charged
A Florida police officer who was filmed pushing over a kneeling Black protester during an anti-racism demonstration in May is now facing a criminal charge.
Steven Pohorence, 29, of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor battery for intentionally touching or striking the 19-year-old woman, the Broward State Attorneys Office announced. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in jail.
The decision to file a misdemeanor charge was made after reviewing the victims medical records to see if her injury fell under the legal requirements for a misdemeanor or felony charge, State Attorney Michael Satz said in a release.
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Poherence was monitoring a May 31 rally with other officers when he was filmed pushing the woman to the ground as she knelt with her hands in the air. Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione, at a press conference in June, said Pohorence had entered the crowd of demonstrators to rescue a fellow officer who had become surrounded and felt endangered. The woman who was pushed to the ground did not suffer any injuries, he said.
https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/fort-lauderdale-officer-charged-battery-155024870.html