Senior Assistant Prosecutor Paul Colangelo told jurors in his closing argument today that Patrolman John Gillespie "showed himself to be a total liar" when he testified yesterday that he used appropriate force to subdue the motorist.
The prosecutor called Gillespie and motorist Joseph Rao, of South Philadelphia, "hotheads" who locked horns immediately after Rao, 19 at the time, was stopped for allegedly running a stop sign.
Gillespie's lawyer, Ron Helmer, told jurors today that Rao was the liar and has no respect for the law. He pointed out that Rao is on probation for a conviction for making terroristic threats against Philadelphia police officers.
"This is like Alice in Wonderland," he said. "The bad-guy criminal gets all his charges dismissed. The police officers are on trial for their lives and the bad guy is salivating and hoping the officer is found guilty so he can get closer to his million-dollar prize."
During his own testimony yesterday, Gillespie told jurors that he followed police procedures to subdue his handcuffed prisoner. Gillespie, a four-year veteran of the Deptford police force and former Gloucester County sheriff's deputy, said the South Philadelphia man he arrested was kicking inside his police car and threatened to smash the window and escape.
"It's my duty to go back there and subdue him," said Gillespie, 35, of Deptford. "I'd be responsible if he jumped out of the window and got hit by a car."
A video camera mounted on the dashboard of a second police cruiser, parked behind Gillespie's, recorded the brawny Gillespie and another police officer tussling with the screaming, handcuffed suspect in the backseat of Gillespie's cruiser.
