Ellwood City officer demoted, suspended without pay after confrontation with man at gas station
The Ellwood City police officer involved in a confrontation at a gas station with a young man earlier this month has been disciplined by the borough council.
Police officer Rob Magnifico has been suspended for 10 days without pay, demoted from sergeant to officer, and ordered to take anger management/de-escalation classes after he was seen on video confronting and shoving a 20-year-old man to the ground at the Sheetz on Fifth Street.
"I just want to say that we took this matter very seriously," Ellwood City Mayor Anthony Court said after Monday's council meeting. "A lot of time and effort went into this, decisions made by myself and the governing body. We want to continue to move forward as a community."
He added that the police union's bargaining unit can appeal the discipline, which was handed down in a unanimous borough council vote. Magnifico was not at Monday's meeting.
Police officer's viral confrontation caught on video
Mayor Court said on June 9 that the officer was under investigation after the confrontation, which happened on June 6 around 1 a.m.
Devin Hartmann told KDKA that he and his friends were getting food at the gas station when they were told to leave because they were recording. Hartmann said they left the Sheetz, but he returned because he forgot his cellphone.
An argument with Sheetz employees ensued over the phone and Hartmann said he refused to leave without the device, leading to the police being called. Two officers, including Magnifico, responded.
Hartmann said he told officers it was his phone and put the password in for proof, but he said they wouldn't give it to him. The video then shows the officer coming from behind the food counter and pushing Hartmann, causing him to hit the wall and the floor.
"I was really scared," Hartmann previously told KDKA. "I was shocked, I thought something bad was going to happen."
The confrontation was recorded by Hartmann's 16-year-old friend.
"I thought it was the right thing to do, because I didn't know what was going to happen after that," 16-year-old Asher Rausch-Hicks previously told KDKA. "I was scared for my friend and myself."
Magnifico has been on the force for 26 years. He is also the head football coach for Riverside High School.
