No retrial for cop in 'racial slur' incident
Edward Sawicki says he want's to return to the police force.
After 11 weeks in legal limbo, former Philadelphia Police Officer Edward Sawicki III is now able to try to remove the word "former" from the title.
On Thursday, the District Attorney's Office announced it would not retry Sawicki on a misdemeanor assault and a weapons charge involving a 2013 predawn traffic incident in South Philadelphia.
Sawicki, 36, a police officer for almost nine years, the son of a city police officer and nephew of another, was accused of spouting racial epithets and threatening to kill an African American man during an Oct. 20, 2013 argument at Ninth and Wharton Streets, where the Geno's and Pat's cheesesteak shops nightly draw hundreds of customers.
In April, a Common Pleas Court jury acquitted Sawicki of terroristic threats and disorderly conduct but could not reach verdicts on simple assault and a weapons count for allegedly pulling up his shirt and displaying a gun.
Since then, the prosecutor's office has been mulling whether to retry Sawicki on the two hung charges but on Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Michael Bonner moved to dismiss the case. Bonner could not be reached for comment.
"It's over," said William J. Brennan, Sawicki's attorney.
Asked if Sawicki intended to try to return to the department, Brennan said, "Absolutely. Edward Sawicki is the kind of officer you want to respond to your home if you have the unfortunate opportunity to call 911."
Sawicki, who served as a Marine in Eastern Africa and Iraq, was assigned to the 25th District at the time of the 2013 incident.
At trial, the jury was confronted with starkly different versions of what happened.
Lamar Fouse, 39, testified that Sawicki bumped his leg while parking his car and then became infuriated when Fouse banged on the off-duty officer's car and said, "You hit me."
Fouse said Sawicki called him a racial epithet and added, "I'll smoke you" while pulling up his shirt to reveal a pistol.
Sawicki denied using racial slurs or threatening Fouse and told the jury Fouse was out of control. Sawicki said he thought Fouse was trying to stage a false accident scam and then caused a scene when he realized Sawicki was a police officer.
