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Pennsylvania State Police trooper charged with assaulting Harrisburg skateboarder

HARRISBURG, Pa.–A Pennsylvania State Police trooper is facing criminal charges after he assaulted a skateboarder during an arrest in Harrisburg last year....
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HARRISBURG, Pa.–A Pennsylvania State Police trooper is facing criminal charges after he assaulted a skateboarder during an arrest in Harrisburg last year.

Trooper Ryan S. Luckenbaugh, 36, is charged with two counts of official oppression, simple assault and harassment.

The incident occurred on May 16, 2015 along Locust Street in Harrisburg and was captured by police dashcam video, according to the criminal complaint.

Christopher Siennick, 25, was arrested by Trooper Luckenbaugh and Trooper Michael J. Trotta on disorderly conduct charges.  During his arrest, Siennick was subjected to being tased, pepper sprayed and the use of physical force, court documents state.

Just before the assault takes place–dashcam video shows Siennick is seated on a curb with his hands handcuffed behind his back. He begins yelling profanities at Troopers and surrounding Harrisburg City Police Officers, who were there to provide assistance. That’s when Trooper Luckenbaugh is seen on the video kick Siennick in the face with his boot, according to the criminal complaint .

Investigators interviewed members of the Harrisburg City Police Department who were present and witnessed the kick. The officers told authorities they did not believe the kick was reasonably justified, based on the circumstances, court records state.

A preliminary hearing for Trooper Luckenbaugh is scheduled for Feb. 22.

Trooper Luckenbaugh has been employed by the Pennsylvania State Police since 2006. He is currently suspended without pay.

The case is being prosecuted by the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office.

Leading up to Sienneck’s arrest

Further investigation into events leading up to Sienneck’s arrest on May 16 revealed that Trooper Luckenbaugh embellished key details when he filled out Sienneck’s arrest paperwork.

The complaint filed by Luckenbaugh stated  Siennick was riding a skateboard south on Second Street going the wrong way on a one way street.  Luckenbaugh claimed Siennick failed to obey verbal commands to move from the roadway, displayed an obscene gesture (raised middle finger), and struck the police cruiser “with either his person or an unidentified object.”

The troopers did not stop, nor did they attempt to take Siennick into custody, when troopers first encountered him. Instead, the troopers drove past him a second time. Luckenbaugh wrote that Siennick spit on the police car as they passed, but again the troopers did not stop nor attempt to take him into custody at that time.

It was during the third and final encounter with Siennick in which troopers took him into custody.

Authorities reviewed dashcam video and could not corroborate Trooper Luckenbaugh’s claim that Siennick struck the police cruiser with anything.

Luckenbaugh also claimed in his arrest paperwork that Siennick had a heavy odor of suspected alcohol, but a Harrisburg police officer told authorities he didn’t smell anything and another officer didn’t believe Siennick was intoxicated.

In the complaint filed by Luckenbaugh, he alleged Siennick refused to submit to a preliminary breath test (PBT) or field sobriety test. Further review of the cruiser’s dashcam video shows that no one ever offered Siennick the opportunity to submit to a PBT or field sobriety test, nor did the Harrisburg officers recall anyone requesting those tests.

Charges dropped against Siennick

The 14 charges that were filed against Siennick were eventually dropped by the Dauphin County District Attorney upon viewing the video of the incident.

By the time the charges were withdrawn, Siennick had already spent three weeks in Dauphin County Prison.

Lawsuit filed

Siennick filed a lawsuit against both Trotta and Luckenbaugh in August 2015.

 

 

 

 

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