Assault Charges Dropped Against Former Atlanta Police Officer Nathan Lucas

Charges against a former Atlanta police officer accused of assault were dropped after a plea bargain was reached.

Bicyclist Jason Swichtenberg and former Atlanta Police officer Nathan Lucas have two drastically different accounts of what happened three years ago at a Midtown intersection while Lucas was off duty.

Swichtenberg says that Lucas attacked him.

”He pushed me to the ground, where I lay helpless with my bicycle on top of me, Swichtenberg testified.

Lucas said that Switchenberg used a racial slur.

”He yelled several profanity-laced epithets at me, Lucas said.

Swichtenberg denies that he used the n-word.

The encounter left Swichtenberg with a broken arm and the former officer arrested on four felonies.

”He tried to run me over in his car, said Swichtenberg.

Lucas said that Swichtenberg tried to attack him after he pulled over.

With all charges dropped, Lucas will pay $5,000 restitution and the case will go away -- even though the victim objected.

Swichtenberg said he was disappointed in the outcome.

”For whatever reason, they were not willing to put this case in the hands of the citizens of Fulton County. We think the citizens of Fulton County would have seen the truth of this case and convicted Nathan Lucas, said Bruce Hagen, Swichtenberg’s attoey.

”You don’t call a person the n-word, you don’t shoot a bird. Otherwise you are entitled to a justified beatdown, said Jackie Patterson, Lucas’ attoey.

The Fulton County District Attoey’s office said they did not want to move forward with the case because they say the bicyclists made too many inconsistent statements.

The district attoey’s office said in open court that Atlanta Police will not rehire Lucas, but the former officer says he would like to police again and will be applying at other departments.