Original Article 2 ex-federal officers enter guilty pleas Henry K. Lee Tuesday, November 16, 2004 Two former federal police officers pleaded guilty Monday to falsely claiming that a motorist tried to run one of them over, forcing that officer to shoot at the car, authorities said. Peter Taoy and John Haire, former Federal Protective Service officers, caused motorist Jeffrey Petri to be jailed for six days and wrongly charged with assaulting a police officer, according to court documents. The officers, assigned to the Federal Building in San Francisco, chased Petri on Feb. 15, 2003, after he ran a red light in his Mercedes-Benz, authorities said. When they caught up to him, Taoy fired four shots into the car's left front tire. The two officers made up a story that Petri had tried to run over Taoy, prosecutors said. The two also admitted to falsely stating that the pursuit began adjacent to federal property rather than several blocks away. Taoy pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel to charges of conspiracy against rights and making false statements. Haire pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law. Both have resigned from the force and are to be sentenced March 7. http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=2569597 SAN FRANCISCO Two former federal officers have pleaded guilty to violating a San Francisco man's civil rights when they arrested him last year. The Justice Department says Peter Taoy (toy) and John Haire -- both formerly Federal Protective Service officers -- admitted to making false statements and disregarding the truth about the arrest of Jeffrey Petri. The officers initially reported that they saw Petri blow through a red light and lead them on a high speed chase that ended when they shot out his tires -- an act they described as self-defense when he allegedly tried to run them over. The problem was, it didn't happen that way at all. Many of the details given by the officers at the time of Petri's arrest were inaccurate and they resulted in Petri being jailed for six days and wrongfully charged with a federal crime. The two officers now face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The case continues to be investigated by both the F-B-I and the Department of Homeland Security. Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.