Seattle officer details shooting

Associated Press

SEATTLE — One of two police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a black man during a traffic stop testified Friday that he feared for his life when the man grabbed his arm and put the car in gear.

"I just had a visual image of a car coming down the hill and T-boning us," officer Greg Neubert told an inquest jury.

Asked if shooting driver Aaron Roberts was the only option for his partner, officer Craig Price, Neubert replied, "I didn’t see any other alternative."

At the time, he said, he did not believe pepper spray would stop Roberts.

Both officers are white, and the shooting has drawn accusations of racism from some area residents and activists.

Roberts’ family contends Neubert forced his way into Roberts’ car and was roughing him up. They, and some citizen witnesses who have testified at the inquest, dispute the contention that Neubert was dragged or that either officer was in danger.

After Neubert’s testimony, the hearing was continued until Monday. Price is expected to testify early next week.

Neubert said the officers stopped Roberts on May 31 after he backed out across two lanes of traffic. Roberts abruptly pulled over, which Neubert said made him suspicious.

When he asked for Roberts’ registration and license, Roberts said he didn’t have them and instead offered an insurance card in his mother’s name, Neubert said.

The 37-year-old Roberts said the vehicle belonged to his girlfriend, Neubert said. That was his last statement, the officer said.

"His demeanor was very quiet. … He didn’t really look at me," he said.

He suspected Roberts was on drugs or alcohol. Neubert said he told Roberts — who had both feet on the brake — the exhaust was bothering him and asked him to turn off the car. Neubert said the remark was a signal to Price that something was wrong.

Roberts put car into park but did not turn off the engine, Neubert said. He had slowly been gathering assorted scraps of paper from the car, which he handed to Neubert.

Roberts then slowly put the car back in drive, said Neubert, who described himself as "a little over 200 (pounds) and 6-foot-4-ish."

"He reached out and grabbed my wrist in which the documents were in. … It actually pulled me off balance," he testified.

"The vehicle began to lurch forward."

Neubert tried several times to grab the shifter and put the car back in park. Roberts elbowed him in the head until he put out his hand to shield the blows, he said. Neubert was unable to reach his gun.

He noticed Price had entered the car on the passenger side. Both officers were yelling at Roberts to stop the car, and Price was yelling that he would shoot if Roberts did not stop, Neubert said.

Neubert said he also told Price to shoot several times.

Roberts then put the car into reverse, and it "immediately shot backward," Neubert said.

At this point, he said, Price had drawn his gun. Neubert said he saw Roberts reach toward his partner.

"A brief second or so later, I heard a shot."

The car drifted into a curb and stopped, and Neubert was thrown to the ground.

After the hearing, Roberts’ brother disputed Neubert’s testimony, calling him "well coached."

"The jury seems pretty smart and attentive," said Eric Roberts, 39, of Seattle. "They’re the only ones who’ll decide. We’ll just have to wait and see."

Neubert, a nine-year department veteran, suffered bruises and was hospitalized overnight. Price, on the force about 2 1/2years at the time, was treated for a bruised leg and released.

On Jan. 29, Roberts had walked away from a downtown work-release program, where he had been since December, making the transition from prison. He’d received a two-year term after he pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a handgun.

His girlfriend has said Roberts was planning to turn himself in, serve his time and start a new life in Atlanta. He had five children.

Neubert said he didn’t recognize Roberts and would have acted differently if he had known a warrant was out on him.