Cop Who Punched Gwinnett Motorist Wants His Job Back: Report

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A Gwinnett County police sergeant fired after a video showed him appearing to punch a motorist during a traffic stop is appealing to get his job back.

Mike Puglise, an attorney for former Sgt. Michael Bongiovanni, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his client maintains he was following proper procedure.

Bongiovanni was fired last Thursday, hours after Master Police Officer Robert McDonald was terminated for kicking the same man in the head after he was already handcuffed. The two apparent attacks were captured on separate, citizen-shot videos.

Demetrius Hollins, 21, was pulled over in Lawrenceville last Wednesday for not having a license plate and changing lanes multiple times without signaling. Police say he refused to stop until his car stalled out.

Puglise told the AJC that what looks like a punch in the video is actually an elbow strike, which he claims is an FBI-taught defensive tactic. Bongiovanni has 15 days to file a formal appeal with the five-member Gwinnett County Merit Board.

To read the original report in the AJC, click here.

Photo courtesy Gwinnett County Police Department