The Colombian police officer accused of using excessive force against a photojournalist said it was all an accident during his first disciplinary hearing, reported the newspaper El Tiempo. Both the officer and the photographer had an opportunity to detail their sides of the story during the hearing, the daily said.
On Oct. 23, Officer Cristian Eliécer Acero Torres pushed photojournalist Ana María García and held her against the ground. Bogotá's police chief Luis Eduardo Martínez apologized to García publicly after pictures and video of the incident were released and caused outrage among the people of the city.
During the hearing, Acero Torres argued that he had tripped and fell to the ground with García, El Tiempo said. Authorities will inform on Friday if the officer will face any disciplinary actions, the daily added.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
