Witnesses Will Rebut Beating Claim, Police Say

The San Diego Police Department announced Friday that it has interviewed four witnesses who contradict allegations by Nathaniel Jordan, the former officer who testified for the defense in the Sagon Penn police murder trial, that police assaulted him last week.

“We are very concerned about the public’s perception because of Mr. Jordan’s statements that he was deliberately singled out and harassed . . . “ Assistant Chief Bob Burgreen said in an interview. “I know how this looks. I also know that Mr. Jordan’s statements have fueled a few fires. But the public needs to know that, according to independent witnesses, police officers handled this right and his allegations are completely false . . . Nate Jordan is not telling the truth.”

Jordan, 35, claimed he was attacked by two police officers who approached him on Aug. 21 as he sat in his car in a handicapped parking space with the engine running in a store parking lot on El Cajon Boulevard. Jordan did not return phone calls Friday on the advice of his defense attorney, Milton J. Silverman.

Burgreen said the police investigation shows that Jordan, an associate minister at Mount Zion Baptist Church, repeatedly used profane language and “pushed and intimidated our officers.” He said that police have asked the city attorney’s office to prosecute Jordan on misdemeanor charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and parking in a handicapped space.

“Frankly, I don’t care what people say about him who see him at the church,” Burgreen said of associates who have described Jordan as mild-mannered. “I know what he was like out there on that Friday and that’s what really matters here.”

Senior police officers reacted swiftly to Jordan’s complaints because he was the second person connected to the Penn defense to allege police abuse following last month’s acquittals in the controversial police murder trial.

“We have put a lot of resources into investigating what happened out there on El Cajon Boulevard . . . ,” Burgreen said.

The police internal affairs unit is continuing to investigate claims by Reiko Obata, the former head of Penn’s legal defense committee, that she was harassed on Aug. 8 by two officers who arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence despite having no evidence. Obata said police took her to jail because she had an attitude problem. Authorities have dropped all charges against her.

Police also are reviewing Jordan’s allegation that numerous officers laughed at him as he sat handcuffed in a police car on El Cajon Boulevard.

Jordan charged in an interview Monday that Detective Ronald King, who he recognized from his seven years on the department, struck him in the back in retaliation for his testimony in the Penn case. Penn, a 25-year-old black man, was acquitted on major charges in connection with the March 31, 1985 slaying of Agent Thomas Riggs and the wounding of Agent Donovan Jacobs.

During Penn’s second trial, Jordan testified that Jacobs once called him “a nigger” at a squad conference and frequently used racist language when dealing with black suspects. Jordan said at the time that he was reluctant to testify because he feared police retribution.

But Burgreen said that officers did not know Jordan’s identity until they looked at his identification after he was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car.

Denies Any Vendetta

“I think it is awfully important that the public know that there is no vendetta against people who testify in any trial,” Burgreen said.

Burgreen declined to name the four witnesses who supported the police version of the Jordan arrest because he said they asked not to be identified. He said that all four witnesses disputed Jordan’s claims.

Burgreen provided the following description of the accounts provided by the witnesses:

King, dressed in street clothes, was leaving a municipal employees’ credit union when he noticed Jordan’s vehicle parked in a handicapped space in front of an ice cream store. The detective “came on gently” and asked Jordan to move his car, but the former police officer resisted. King then called for a uniformed officer.

“The witnesses corroborate entirely the fact that when the cover officer came that Mr. Jordan became loud, abusive and profane,” Burgreen said. “He was using (obscene) words . . . regularly, loudly and got right in the officer’s face using those words. They corroborate that the officers were simply trying to get him to identify himself and showed great restraint and that Mr. Jordan began bumping the officers with his body.

Kicking, Hitting Denied

“They also confirmed the fact that no one at any point kicked or kneed Mr. Jordan in the back or anywhere else and that in fact Mr. Jordan for no reason turned and violently pushed with both hands Detective King, causing him to stumble back approximately five steps.”

Burgreen said that Officer John McGill then controlled Jordan by placing him in a neck restraint.

A tape recording--obtained by The Times--of police radio communications at the time of the incident reveals an urgent call for help. “Cover now!” an officer can be heard saying. “An officer is being assaulted. Move it.”

Several police units responded to the call but within seconds the request for more police was canceled.

Burgreen praised King, a 20-year veteran, as one of the department’s finest officers. He said, “Ron King is not the kind of guy who starts trouble. Ever. Ron King goes out of his way to avoid trouble. Ron King is a smooth, professional police officer.”

When asked about Jordan’s credibility and his critical testimony in the Penn case, Burgreen left little doubt about his feelings.

“I’m convinced that in this most recent case, Nate Jordan is not telling the truth,” Burgreen said. “No question in my mind. Nate Jordan’s credibility with me in this case is non-existent. I have an opinion about his credibility in the (Penn) case, but for me to say what it is is going to sound like sour grapes. I think people ought to draw their own conclusions.”