Updated 04/26/2010 09:28 PM
Testimony Wraps Up In Cyclist Assault Trial
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A jury will soon decide the fate of a former city police officer caught on video knocking a cyclist to the ground during a protest.
Closing arguments were delivered Monday in the trial of Patrick Pogan.
He was the only witness the defense called.
At the heart of the case is a YouTube video showing the alleged assault.
Pogan, who was a rookie police officer at the time, is seen body-checking bicyclist Christopher Long during a 2008 critical mass protest in Times Square.
Each side claims the other instigated the incident.
Pogan's lawyer claimed the night was a perfect storm for Long.
"You had a inexperienced officer who was looking to do his job, you had an inexperienced assistant DA who spent 10 minutes with my client and you had a professional agitator. It wasn't the first rodeo he had been to, he had been arrested before, he was looking to escalate the situation from its inception," said Defense Attorney Stuart London.
The Assistant District Attorney told the jury that Pogan "overreacted to what Christopher Long was doing and responded with a violent shove, knocking him off his bicycle. Some mistakes are crimes."
Pogan is charged with assault and falsifying an arrest record.
He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
The jury is expected to begin deliberations Tuesday.