Date: 9/30/2008 11:26 AM
By JIM DAVENPORT
Associated Press Writer
GREENVILLE , S.C. (AP) _ The federal trial for a South Carolina state trooper accused of deliberately hitting a suspect with his patrol car has started.
Federal prosecutors say Lance Cpl. Steven Garren intentionally hit Marvin Grant when he was running from police after a traffic stop in June of last year. A key video of the incident shows Grant being hit and flipping over the hood of the trooper’s patrol car.
Prosecutor Brent Gray told a jury Tuesday that the video shows the officer steering in Grant’s direction. The trooper’s lawyer says Garren tried to avoid hitting Grant.
Garren is charged with using unreasonable force and depriving a suspect of his civil rights. A conviction could bring the now-suspended officer 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.