Some body worn camera footage was shown in court Wednesday in the trial of Rochester Police Officer Michael Sippel...but the judge has ruled that some of the body worn camera footage following the arrest of Christopher Pate is not relevant to the case.
Sippel is being tried on misdemeanor assault charges for using excessive force while arresting Pate, who turned out not to be the robbery suspect Sippel and his partner thought they were confronting. On the tape played in court, Pate could be heard yelling at officers to check his ID, while officers told him to “stop resisting.”
Officer Spenser McAvoy's body camera recorded him asking Pate several times for ID and Pate not complying. McAvoy said he then grabbed Pate's wrist to handcuff him. Officer Sipple's lawyer says the resulting struggle was due to miscommunication and indicated both Officer Sippel and Pate were at fault.
But prosecutor Gina Clark says the officers used too much force, leaving Pate with broken facial bones and an eye injury.
Sippel's trial continues Thursday, with Officer McAvoy still on the stand.