COP ADMITS USING 'PAIN' IN ARREST

MAYS LANDING, N.J. - An Atlantic City police officer fired after being
caught on videotape beating a prisoner defended his actions yesterday,
saying he felt threatened and never meant to hurt the man.

"I felt I used the amount of pain necessary to effectuate his arrest," he
told a Superior Court jury.

Thomas DiLorenzo, 33, is charged with aggravated assault and official
misconduct in the 1998 beating of a fan at a Van Halen concert at Trump
Marina Hotel Casino.

Jack Hagopian, 21, of Havertown, Pa., was arrested after security guards saw
him light up a marijuana cigarette in the casino.

The black-and-white videotape, which has no audio, was made by a
surveillance camera in a casino holding cell where Hagopian was taken by
guards.

On it, DiLorenzo can be seen punching, kicking and kneeing Hagopian in the
back as he and two guards struggle to handcuff the 6-foot-3-inch, 150-pound
suspect.

Prosecutors say he used excessive force; DiLorenzo, who is 5-foot-7,
testified yesterday that Hagopian bit him, struck him, spit at him and
threatened to kill him during the 12-minute struggle, and that he only
resorted to force because he felt threatened and wanted Hagopian handcuffed
so he could not hurt him.

The videotape of the Aug. 22, 1998, incident shows none of that.

Hagopian, who initially identified himself as Jerry Garcia, can be seen
writhing on the floor as DiLorenzo and the others struggle with him. He was
punched and kicked by guards and two other Atlantic City police officers who
came to assist DiLorenzo.

DiLorenzo was the only one charged, but the other officers were suspended
for their parts in the beating. The city agreed to pay $200,000 to settle a
civil suit brought by Hagopian.

"There are thousands of kids who go down the shore in the summer, and you
don't want police hitting people," said Jack Hagopian Sr., 51, of Cherry
Hill, the victim's father. "My son was wrong in what he did. But it's not
their job to give the punishment."

An Atlantic City police officer since 1996, DiLorenzo was fired and charged
with three counts of official misconduct and one count of aggravated
assault.

He could get 10 years in prison if convicted on all the charges.