FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale police officer’s trial over a battery during a protest continued for the fourth day with expert testimony on Friday in Broward County court.
Prosecutors have a video showing Officer Steven Pohorence’s interaction with a woman who was kneeling during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 near the Broward County Main Library.
Carlos Gonzalez, an expert on law enforcement’s use of force, was a defense witness. He said Pohorence used a police tactic to help a fellow police officer.
“I saw what I describe as a swim maneuver,” Gonzalez said in court. “He stepped through and swam over.”
Gonzalez said Pohorence was responding to a call for help by an officer who was afraid because a crowd of protesters surrounded him and were shaking a car.
The victim was not part of such a group. Prosecutors said she was on the ground. The defense rested their case. The judge asked jurors to return at 2 p.m., on Monday, to listen to closing arguments.
If convicted of misdemeanor battery, Pohorence could face up to a year in prison.