Judge allows jurors to hear about Oscar Grant's criminal past in BART Police murder trial

[alp227]

The Associated Press reports:

(05-08) 04:00 PDT Los Angeles - --

Jurors in the upcoming trial of a former BART police officer charged with murdering an unarmed man can hear about an incident in which police reported the man ran from officers and resisted arrest, a judge ruled Friday.

Judge Robert Perry of Los Angeles County Superior Court granted a defense motion to allow some details about the arrest history of Oscar Grant, 22, who was shot in the back and killed at BART's Fruitvale Station in Oakland on New Year's Day 2009.

Former BART Officer Johannes Mehserle, 28, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Grant.

The trial was moved from Alameda County to Los Angeles because of widespread media coverage and racial tensions sparked by the case. Mehserle is white; Grant was African American.

As the AP reported, Grant was arrested in October 2006 after fleeing from the San Leandro police during a traffic stop. The police Tased him, and even then Grant still resisted arrest as he was handcuffed, according to a police report that Judge Perry read. Afterwards, Grant served a year and four months in state prison for gun possession; a .380 pistol was found about 20 feet from the arrest site.

Also, the judge put some further restrictions on conduct and jury selection to ensure a fair trial:

Perry also denied a defense motion to allow police officers to be part of the jury pool. Among his other rulings:

-- Spectators at the trial can't wear supportive ribbons, buttons or T-shirts. "This is not a sporting event," the judge said.

-- Prosecutors can refer to Grant as a victim, and defense attorneys can refer to him as a detainee or arrestee but not as a suspect.

Hmm, on second thought, maybe the judge should also provide the jury with this SF Chronicle report about Grant's funeral in which visitors remembered Grant's positive side, including his love of fishing. Grant also worked in supermarkets and restaurants; maybe the prosecution should get some of his supervisors to testify about Grant the working man.