>>
>> BOY,
>> BOY, WHAT A SERIES OF EVENTS THERE, THANK YOU.
>>> WE FIRST SHOWED YOU THIS
SHOCKING VIDEO IN 4@OUR YEAR LO
SERIES D.C. POLICE STOP AND
FRISK.
FRISK.
FRISK. TONIGHT WE'VE GOT NEW DETAILS
IN THE CASE.
THAT D.C. POLICE OFFICER CAUGHT
ON A CELL PHONE CAMERA
PERFORMING WHAT APPEARS TO BE
AN ILLEGAL STOP AND FRISK IS
NOW ACCUSED OF A SECOND
INAPPROPRIATE SEARCH BY THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT 4@ON THE VERY
SAME DAY.
SAME DAY.
SAME DAY. TONIGHT INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
ERIC FLACK BRINGS THE EXCLUSIVE
NEW REVELATIONS FROM OUTSIDE
THE HEARING WHERE THAT OFFICER
IS FIGHTING TO KEEP HIS BADGE.
>>
>> Reporter: PROSECUTORS FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE
SAY THE TWO BODY SEARCHES BY
D.C. POLICE OFFICER SEAN
LOJACONO ARE EERILY SIMILAR,
THE FIRST CAUGHT ON CELL PHONE
VIDEO GOING VIRAL, THE SECOND
NEVER REPORTED UNTIL NOW MAY
COST LOJ ACONO HIS JOB.
JUST 4@WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU THI
YOU SHOULD REMAIN A D.C. POLICE
OFFICER?
OFFICER?
OFFICER? THE D.C. METROPOLITAN4@ A POLIC
OFFICER FACING TOUGH QUESTIONS
THURSDAY AS HE FACES THE
DEPARTMENT'S DECISION TO FIRE
HIM FOR IMPROPER SEARCH4@ES ON
D.C. RESIDENTS.
D.C. RESIDENTS. DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE ACTIONS
THAT WERE SEEN ON THIS VIDEO
WERE JUST?
WERE JUST? >> AGAIN, I HAVE NO COMMENT.
I'M ABOUT TO GO INTO MY
HEARING.
HEARING.
HEARING. SO EVERYTHIN4@G THAT NEEDS TO B
SAID WILL BE SAID IN THERE.
>> Reporter: WUSA9 FIRST
SHOWED YOU THIS VIDEO A YEAR
AGO AS PART OF OUR ONGOING
INVESTIGATION D.C. POLICE STOP
AND FRISK.
AND FRISK. AS WE REPORTED 4@BACK THEN, THA
MAN, M.B. 4@
COTTINGHAM, AGREED TO A LIGHT
PATDOWN AFTER OFFICER LOJACONO
ASKED IF HE WAS CARRYING A
WEAPON, WHICH HE WAS NOT.
THE OFFICER CAN BE SEEN
AGGRESSIVELY AND INTRUSIVELY
SEARCHING COTTINGHAM DESPITE
THE MAN'S REPEATED PROTESTS
ABOUT WHERE THE OFFICER WAS 4@
PUTTING HIS HANDS.
>> COME ON, MAN.
YOU FINGER ME [ BLEEP ]. HE
STUCK HIS FINGER IN MY CRACK,
MAN.
MAN.
MAN. >>
MAN. >> Reporter: THE OFFICER ALSO
DID NOT HAVE PROBABLE CAUSE FOR
THIS SEARCH ACCORDING TO A
REDONE BY HIS DISTRICT 4@
COMMANDERS.
COMMANDERS. THE CITY PAID A SIX FIGURE
SETTLEMENT TO COTTINGHAM AFTER
HE SUED OVER THE INCIDENT AND
LAST SEPTEMBER D.C. POLICE TOLD
US THEY WERE MOVING TO FIRE
LOJACONO, BUT TODAY WE LEARNED
TECHNICALLY LOJACONO WASN'T
FIRED FOR THE SEARCH ON
COTTINGHAM.
COTTINGHAM. HE'S BEING FIRED FOR A SECOND
SEARCH ON A DIFFERENT MAN THAT
HAPPEN4@ED LESS THAN 30 MINUTES
AFTER THIS ONE.
CAMERAS AREN'T ALLOWED IN THE
HEARING ROOM WHERE OFFICER
LOJACONO IS APPEALING HIS
FIRING, BUT I WAS IN THERE JUST
FEET FROM LOJACONO WHEN THE
BODY WORN CAMERA VIDEO OF THAT
SECOND INCIDENT WAS PLAYED.
IN THIS VIDEO OFFICER LOJACONO
IS SEEN RUNNING HIS HANDS
BETWEEN THE SUSPECT'S BUTTOCKS
AND ALONG HIS GENITALS.
THE MAN CAN BE HEARD ON THAT
VIDEO TELLING BYSTANDERS
OFFICER LOJACONO VIOLATED 4@ME
A MAN.
A MAN.
A MAN. THE SEARCH WHICH HAPPENED AT
THE CORNER OF BRANDYWINE AND
FIRST STREET SOUTHEAST RESULTED
IN THE ARREST OF THE SUSPECT
FOR HAVING AN OPEN CONTAINER OF
ALCOHOL IN THE CAR, BUT THE
INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATOR
TESTIFIED LOJACONO'S INTRUSIVE
SEARCH AT THE SCENE WAS "NOT IN
THE SCOPE OF A FIELD SEARCH"
AND THAT EVEN AFTER AN ARREST A
SEARCH LIKE THE ONE ON THAT
BODY CAM VIDEO WOULD HAVE BEEN
DONE LATER IN A PRIVATE AREA
AND NOT BY OFFICER LOJACONO.
IT WAS EARLY 2018 WHEN LOJACONO
WAS DISCIPLINED FOR THE FIRST
SEARCH ON THE CELL PHONE VIDEO
AND HIS PUNISHMENT, HE WAS
TAKEN OUT OF MPD'S GUN RECOVERY
UNIT AND PLACED BACK AT THE 4@
DISTRICT LEVEL, BUT IN A
BIZARRE TWIST A FEW MONTHS
AFTER HE 4@WAS DISCIPLINED
LOJACONO'S FATHER CHRIS, A
RETIRED D.C. POLICE COMMANDER
AND FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF OF
INTERNAL AFFAIRS ASKED THE
CURRENT INTERN4@AL AFFAIRS
ASSISTANT CHIEF TOREVIEW HIS
SON'S CASE.
SON'S CASE. THE BODY CAMERA VIDEO WAS
PULLED OF THE COTTINGHAM
INCIDENT TO LOOK INTO IT
FURTHER, BUT INSTEAD HE
STUMBLED UPON THE VIDEO OF THAT
SECOND PREVIOUSLY UNDISCOVERED
SEARCH.
SEARCH.
SEARCH. PROSECUTORS SAY DESPITE THE 4@
TIES TO THE LOJACONO FAMILY,
THE ASSISTANT CHIEF FELT DUTY
BOUND TO OPEN A SECOND
INVESTIGATION AND THE
DEPARTMENT STRIPPED THE 4@OFFIC
OF HIS BADGE.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE
TO SAY IN YOUR OWN 4@DEFENSE, I
4@
TO SAY IN YOUR OWN 4@DEFENSE, I YOUR OWN STANDING?
>> I'M GOING TO SAY IT ON THE
STAND.
STAND.
STAND. AGAIN, I HAVE NO COMMENT RIGHT
NOW, BUT I APPRECIATE IT.
>> Reporter: SO WHAT DID
OFFICER LOJACONO SAY INSIDE
THAT HEARING ROOM TODAY?
WELL, HE NEVER TESTIFIED, BUT 4@
HIS DEFENSE TEAM IS MAKING THE
CASE THAT THE SEARCHES THE
OFFICER WAS DISCIPLINED FOR ARE
NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER
SEARCHES DONE BY MPD OFFICERS.
"IF MPD IS TRULY CONCERNED
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED," THE
ATTORNEY SAID4@, "THEN MPD WILL
HAVE TO OVERHAUL THE ENTIRE
NARCOTICS AND SPECIAL
INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION BECAUSE
THIS IS WHAT THEY DO."
ERIC FLACK, WUSA9.
>>
>> THAT
>> THAT HEARING BOARD HAS ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO DECIDE WHETHER IT
WILL REVERSE