Police Defense Skills Take Stand in Penn Case

During the ninth day of testimony Wednesday in the trial of accused police killer Sagon Penn, a training officer from the San Diego police academy made guinea pigs of opposing attorneys to demonstrate the proper use of batons and handcuffs to arrest criminal suspects.

Lt. Larry Smith, a 30-year police veteran, was part of the prosecution’s case against Sagon Penn. Penn is charged with last year’s slaying of Police Agent Thomas Riggs and the attempted murder of Police Agent Donovan Jacobs and Sara Pina-Ruiz, a civilian ride-along observer.

Jurors, spectators and Superior Court Judge Ben Hamrick laughed several times during the otherwise serious proceeding after Penn’s defense attorney, Milton Silverman, cried out in pain when Smith handcuffed him.

Silverman reenacted the initial contact between Jacobs and Penn, during which Penn removed his wallet and offered it to Jacobs, who had asked to see Penn’s driver’s license.

Penn, who is black, has claimed that Jacobs, who is white, shouted racial insults and attacked him after Penn refused to remove his license from the wallet and hand it to Jacobs.

“Would you grab the person like this and punch him in the face?” Silverman asked Smith.

“Oh, no,” Smith said.

“You wouldn’t hit me?” Silverman asked.

“Not at that point,” Smith said. He said no officers are trained to hit suspects at the temple, spine, throat or head.

A master of martial arts, Penn was able to deflect many of the blows. Witnesses said that when Penn finally was wrestled to the ground, he grabbed Jacobs’ gun from its holster and began firing while pleading for the officers to stop hitting him.