Prosecutor: Police driver gave Freddie Gray a 'rough ride'

BALTIMORE (AP) — The officer at the wheel when Freddie Gray suffered a fatal spinal injury in the back of a police van caused the young black man's death by deliberately giving him a "rough ride," prosecutors said for the first time Thursday as the driver went on trial on murder and manslaughter charges.

[...] the accusation during opening statements at Officer Caesar Goodson's trial was the first time they said the driver meant to hurt Gray, whose death in April 2015 touched off the worst riots in Baltimore in decades.

During the drive, Goodson ran a stop sign and made a sharp right turn at such high speed that he crossed a double yellow line, Schatzow said, citing video surveillance footage.

Graham said Goodson — "a good officer, a gentle man, a nice guy" — didn't belt Gray in because of his "violent and erratic behavior" that included screaming and kicking with such force that the wagon shook.

Graham told the judge that the assistant medical examiner who prepared Gray's autopsy report and ruled his death a homicide initially told an investigator that it was "a freakish accident" before meeting with prosecutors and changing her mind.

In Philadelphia, police in 2001 barred transportation of prisoners without padding or belts after The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the city had paid $2.3 million to settle lawsuits over rough rides that paralyzed two people.