Authorities say an off-duty police officer used his motorcycle helmet to beat a motorist unconscious during a road rage incident in Wheatfield.
The Niagara County Sheriff's Office tells 7 Eyewitness News that a man reported being tailgated by a motorcyclist on the afternoon of Sept. 5 while driving on Interstate 190 in Wheatfield.
The man says he pulled into a restaurant parking lot, where the motorcyclist confronted him.
Investigators say the biker, identified as city of Niagara Falls Police Officer James Conte, used his helmet to knock the man unconscious and kicked him before leaving the scene.
The 48-year-old Conte pleaded not guilty to an assault charge.
Niagara Falls police say he's been placed on paid administrative leave.
Conte was the subject of a Niagara Falls Police internal investigation for police brutality, according to a 2002 Buffalo News article.
The paper reports a woman claimed in June 2001, Conte handcuffed and beat her when he responded to her 911 call for her stolen wallet.
The internal investigation found Conte not guilty and he was never indicted.
However, according to the Buffalo News, the case was settled out of court for more than $22,000.
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