LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – A Georgia police officer fired after authorities said a video showed him hitting a man in the face during a traffic stop wants his job back.
Mike Puglise, a lawyer for Michael Bongiovanni, says the former Gwinnett County police sergeant this week asked the human resources department to reinstate him. Puglise says Bongiovanni's request will be reviewed by the county merit board.
Bongiovanni was fired April 13 after police said video shot a day earlier showed Bongiovanni hitting Demetrius Hollins as he stood with his hands up. Puglise says Bongiovanni was following procedure and using an elbow strike, a defensive tactic taught by the FBI.
Also fired was another officer, Robert McDonald, who was seen in video stomping on Hollins' head. It wasn't clear if he's also asking for his job back.
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