ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. — A former Lawrence County police officer is facing several charges after a physical confrontation with a man inside a convenience store was caught on camera earlier this year.
Robert Magnifico, then a sergeant with the Ellwood City Police Department, has been charged with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, official oppression, tampering with public records, and unsworn falsification to authorities.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said that Magnifico pushed a 19-year-old man, denied the man of his rights and then filed an inaccurate report about the incident.
On June 6, the 19-year-old man and his 16-year-old friend purchased food at the Sheetz on Fifth Street in Ellwood City. The 19-year-old then realized he had forgotten his phone and called the store, where they told him he could return and get his phone back.
After returning to the Sheetz, the staff did not return the phone to the victim, and police were called.
The victim was able to provide information about the phone, including the passcode, but still did not receive the phone back. The victim then started to become verbally frustrated.
Sunday said Magnifico came from behind the counter and shoved the man to the ground and “verbally berated him.”
The victim’s friend recorded the interaction on his phone.
The 19-year-old then asked for the officer’s badge number and name. Sunday said Magnifico provided the information while walking towards him and then bumped into him in an “intimidating manner.”
Sunday said that Magnifico then grabbed the 16-year-old’s phone and threw it on a table.
The victim and his friend then left the store. The 19-year-old was treated at a local hospital.
“The encounter, which was captured on video, shows a sworn officer engaged in abusive and intimidating behavior that is clearly out of bounds, and, in fact, a series of criminal acts,” Sunday said. “Pennsylvanians should feel confident they can depend on law enforcement officers to protect them, and this one officer’s actions threaten that sense of security.”
Shortly after the incident, the Ellwood City mayor told Channel 11 that Magnifico, following an investigation, was given a 10-day suspension without pay, was demoted from sergeant to patrolman and ordered to attend de-escalation and anger management classes. Magnifico retired in September.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18.
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