A Baltimore City police homicide detective has been charged with perjury Wednesday regarding an incident in January 2011, according to court documents.
Detective Anthony N. Fata faces four criminal charges, including misconduct and lying to get workers' compensation benefits.
Fata claims he was attacked while getting something from his car. At the time, police reported Fata wrestled with the assailant, described only as a black man, and was shot and wounded before the assailant fled.
The shooting happened at a garage at Water and Frederick streets, just a few blocks from the Inner Harbor.
Prosecutors charged Fata with lying about the incident. Court documents show Fata is accused of falsifying the story in testimony he gave to the Workers' Compensation Commission as he apparently tried to use the shooting to get benefits.
Fata is also charged with two counts of misconduct.
Shortly after the shooting last year, WBAL-TV 11 News reported there were questions about what Fata had claimed.
Despite intense investigation, little in the way of physical evidence was found to substantiate the presence of another person.
Fata was in the news before 10 years ago when city police officers were caught on tape confronting rowdy Preakness fans. Fata was seen on video punching a fan in the face.
Fata's career survived that incident.
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