Buffalo police officer Robert Eloff Jr. has been arrested and charged with three counts of civil rights violations. Eloff was one of the off-duty officers present at Molly's Pub last May on the night airman William Sager Jr. was pushed down a flight of stairs, leading to a fatal head injury.
Federal prosecutors have charged Eloff in connection with two separate incidents at that bar. In the first, Eloff is alleged to have punched and kicked a patron who was kicked out for using a fake ID. A witness says the victim was screaming "stop" at the time.
The second incident occurred the night of Sager's death. A victim who was with Sager at the time allegedly questioned Eloff on what was happening. Prosecutors say Eloff then told fellow officers the man had physically interfered with him, leading to the man's unlawful arrest.
"Eloff engaged in this arrest of the victim at the Molly's Pub second incident under the direction of Jeffrey Basil, the man that had just committed the murder," said U.S. Attorney William Hochul.
"That therefore becomes a conspiracy to violate the civil rights of the victim who was wrongfully arrested."
Eloff faces up to 10 years in prison and a quarter-million dollar fine if convicted on all counts.
"These cases take time to thoroughly and competently investigate. And, while this is still speedy by federal standards, our investigations don't happen overnight," said FBI Special-Agent-In Charge Brian Boetig.
"If we want to give the public all the facts and be able present those in court, it takes time to do a thorough and competent investigation. So, we appreciate everybody's patience."
