Baltimore (CNN)The driver of the transport van in which prosecutors say Freddie Gray suffered a fatal spinal injury took him on a “rough ride,” said the chief deputy state’s attorney.
Officer Caesar Goodson, who faces the most serious charges in a controversial case that sparked days of unrest in Baltimore, ran a stop sign and veered into another lane of traffic while making a turn because of the speed he was traveling, prosecutor Michael Schatzow said during opening statements Thursday.
Goodson bears the “ultimate responsibility” for the fate of his prisoner, Schatzow said. Gray was not wearing a seat belt when he was being transported after an arrest in April 2015.
But Andrew Graham, Goodson’s attorney, told the court his client was a good officer who followed department procedure.