Last March, we followed the story of Matt Hefferon, who was allegedly shoved by Fort Collins police without provocation -- an incident caught on video. See the clip and our previous coverage below. Nonetheless, Hefferon has been convicted on two counts in what his attorney calls a major miscarriage of justice that could lead to either an appeal or a lawsuit.
"Our opinion is that justice was not served," says Andrea Hall, Hefferon's attorney. "Information the prosecution was allowed to say to jurors in closing arguments we believe was prejudicial. And we were precluded from talking about certain things. Our position was that the police lied."
The incident was sparked by a minor mishap with a pedi-cab in the Old Town Square area of Fort Collins at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 25. Police say Hefferon and two friends, Jarvis Gullatt and Josh Cullip, jumped into the vehicle, but it toppled over and its taillight was damaged. Officers say the trio then tried to leave, but they were detained.
As we've reported, the footage begins with a shot of an officer asking the cameraman, "Any questions?" However, he does not attempt to prevent the person taking the video from continuing to record. Meanwhile, on the right side of the frame, a man later identified as Hefferon can be seen speaking to a second officer. Hefferon initially gesticulates with his hands, but he's standing still, more or less, when the second officer jolts him in the chest and shouts, "Get back!"
"Don't push me again!" Hefferon responds, from a position several feet further away from the officer than he'd been seconds earlier.
At that point, the first officer rushes over, grabs the man and says, "You're under arrest."
"For what?" the man wants to know -- and he asks the question repeatedly, even after someone (the officer?) can be faintly heard saying, "Resisting." The man is then told to place his hand on the back of his head even as his arms are being held. His frustrated reply: "I can't!"
At that point, the person with the camera adds his opinion, telling Hefferon not to trip, because he's got the incident on video. The clip ends with the narrator brushing off the second officer's demand for his identification by saying there's no need for him to show it