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Accident or assault? Trooper’s trial to begin |
A white state trooper seen on a dashboard videotape hitting a black suspect fleeing on foot with his patrol car — then bragging about it afterward — goes on trial this week on a federal civil rights charge.The case against Steve Garren is being watched closely by black lawmakers and leaders, who contend Garren’s actions were part a longstanding culture of misconduct within the Highway Patrol.“This guy deserves to be prosecuted,” said state Rep. Leon Howard, D-Richland, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, when contacted last week. “In his own admission (on the dashboard videotape), he was testifying against himself.”The charge against Garren, indicted in June, is the first federal civil rights case against a trooper since authorities launched an investigation in March into alleged misconduct within the department.
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