Testimony of Briseno Contradicted : King case: Two officers say he did not seem upset at beating of motorist and told them there was no police misconduct. This is the direct opposite of his portrayal of himself on stand.

Moments after learning that the beating of Rodney G. King had been videotaped and broadcast on local television, Officer Theodore J. Briseno seemed unconcerned and told two colleagues “we didn’t do anything wrong,” a police officer testified Tuesday.

Later in the day, a second officer testified that he believed Briseno lied on the witness stand last week when he told jurors he thought the beating was wrong and he was angry over it.

In testimony that could be damaging to Briseno’s defense that he tried to stop the beating because officers were “out of control,” Officer Dennis Watkins said Briseno acted nonchalant one night after the incident.

“Officer Briseno said, ‘Oh yeah, that arrest. We had to kick a little ass last night,’ ” Watkins testified.

Briseno, on trial with Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, Officer Laurence M. Powell and former Officer Timothy E. Wind on charges that they used excessive force against King, has maintained that he was angered by his colleagues’ actions and tried to intervene before attempting to report the incident to his superiors.

The four defendants were captured on an amateur videotape, beating King with nightsticks and kicking him just after midnight on March 3, 1991, after a car chase. The tape was given to a local television station and subsequently broadcast worldwide.

Watkins testified that he was in the Foothill Station the night after the beating when he saw the videotape for the first time as it aired on KTLA-TV’s 10 p.m. news.

A short time later, he said, Briseno walked in.

“I looked over and saw Officer Briseno, and I said, ‘Ted, did you see yourself on TV?’ ” Watkins testified. “He said ‘Huh, what do you mean?’ and I told him about the video.”

Watkins said he told Briseno that investigators from the department’s Internal Affairs Division were at the station and he was helping them collect documents relating to the beating.

“He said ‘That’s OK, let them. We didn’t do anything wrong. Let them investigate all they want,’ ” Watkins testified.

Watkins said he never before talked about the conversation with Briseno, but decided to come forward after watching Briseno testify last Friday. Briseno told jurors he was upset by the beating and had sought to report it.

Watkins said he wanted to testify about the conversation “because . . . I wanted to bring forth some evidence.”

Briseno’s attorney, John Barnett, suggested that Watkins was trying to help the other three defendants through the alleged police “code of silence” because he waited more than a year to tell about the purported conversation.

Watkins said he did not write down what Briseno told him and never told investigators about the conversation. But he denied he was out to get Briseno.

“Do you have any motive in coming to court to help Timothy Wind . . . , Laurence Powell . . . , or Stacey Koon?” asked Powell’s attorney, Michael Stone.

“No,” Watkins replied.

“Are you trying to hurt Officer Briseno?” Stone asked.

“No,” Watkins answered.

The second witness corroborated Watkins’ testimony Tuesday.

Officer Jerry Williams told jurors he also heard Briseno characterize the King arrest as insignificant even after the videotape was broadcast.

“I told him it was significant,” Williams testified.

Williams, who has since retired from the department, said he believes Briseno lied in his testimony when he said he was upset by the beating and made repeated attempts to stop it.

All four officers are charged with assault with a deadly weapon and excessive force under color of authority. In addition, Koon, the supervising officer at the scene, and Powell are charged with filing false police reports.

Koon, Powell and Briseno have been suspended from the department pending the outcome of their trial.