Trial begins for man shot by Pittsburgh officer

PITTSBURGH — The criminal trial of a Millvale man charged with assaulting a police officer by dragging him with a vehicle before the officer shot and paralyzed him began Tuesday with opening statements.

Leon Ford, 21, has been charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and other counts stemming from a traffic stop in Pittsburgh in November 2012.

Allegheny County prosecutors contend Ford was speeding and rolled through a stop sign before he was pulled over, and he struggled with officers who tried to yank him from the car.

But Ford, who has sued in federal court, claims police provoked the incident by not following proper procedures.

A county judge previously refused to dismiss the charges because police did not record the incident with a dashboard camera.

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