DA: Ex-Pittsburgh cop accused of assault has violent history
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The district attorney says a fired Pittsburgh police officer awaiting trial on state charges he wrongly beat a drunken fan at a high school football championship game at Heinz Field last year has repeatedly used more force than necessary.
Allegheny County prosecutors say Stephen Matakovich used more than the minimum force necessary 56 times since 2011, including when he beat up a stadium security guard who was trying to break up a fight in December 2014.
The former sergeant faces trial next month in the November 2015 beating and arrest of Gabriel Despres, which has also resulted in criminal federal civil rights charges.
County prosecutors want to use evidence of Matakovich’s prior “bad acts” and detailed them in a pretrial motion filed Monday.
His defense attorney didn’t immediately comment.