PITTSBURGH
A federal grand jury indicted a former Pittsburgh police sergeant on charges of deprivation of civil rights and made false statements about the incident, officials announced this week.
The two-count indictment, returned on Tuesday, named Stephen Matakovich, 47, of Pittsburgh, Pa., as the sole defendant.
Earlier this year, charges against Matakovich related to the alleged beating of the teen were dismissed by District Judge Robert Ravenstahl who threw out the charges of simple assault and official oppression.
Pittsburgh police officers who packed the courtroom applauded after the charges were dismissed, according to a report by Pittsburgh’s Action News 12.
“We’re just ecstatic. What else can I say?” defense attorney Blaine Jones said in the report. “You know, he did not go there with the intention of hurting anyone at all. He wanted the young man to leave. And based on Sgt. Matakovich’s over two decades of experience, he wasn’t sure if there was a threat or not, so he was proactive in his actions.”
Action News reported that Matakovich was in uniform and working an off-duty secondary employment detail when he arrested Despres, 19, on charges of criminal trespass, public drunkenness, aggravated assault and underage drinking. The Nov. 28 arrest was recorded on security video and turned over to police by Heinz Field management.
During the preliminary hearing in state district court, Matakovich testified that he believed Despres was poised to attack him.
Officer David Wright, a Pittsburgh Police Bureau expert on use of force, testified for the prosecution against the sergeant. He said Despres’ stance in the video was not aggressive and that the use of force was not justified.
According to the indictment, on or about Nov. 28, 2015, Matakovich, a police officer of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, willfully deprived Gabriel Despres by punching Depres, pushing him, and repeatedly striking him, without justification, causing bodily injury to Depres.
For the entire Action News 4 report click here: Pittsburgh Police Officer
This week’s federal indictment further alleges that on or about Nov. 29, 2015, Matakovich made false statements in a police incident report, justifying the use of force against Gabriel Depres.
Matakovich is facing up to 30 years in federal prison and up to a $500,000.
The FBI and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation leading to the federal indictment in this case.
Matakovich is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.