David Clifford said it was a matter of self-defense — that he had to punch Brian Vander Lee before Vander Lee hit him.
A jury is expected to decide the matter as early as Friday.
Clifford, 48, a Minneapolis police SWAT team leader, testified at his assault trial Thursday that "my training kicked in" when he reacted to an off-duty confrontation by punching fellow patron Vander Lee at an Andover bar and restaurant last June.
Vander Lee fell backward and his head hit the outdoor patio floor, ultimately resulting in three brain surgeries. Clifford, charged with first-degree assault, told the Anoka County jury that he saw Vander Lee's left arm come up in a cocked position.
"I knew I was going to be hit, and I knew I had to hit him before," Clifford said. He referred to his punch as "a clearing strike."
Clifford testified that he, his wife and another couple were sitting at Tanners Station on June 16 when he approached the next table and asked Vander Lee, 44, to tone down his loud use of obscenities and other offensive language.
As a jury watched a surveillance video and still photos of the incident, Clifford pointed at Vander Lee's left arm, which he said moved from an extended to cocked position. What the jury saw in the dark and shadowy photos could determine Clifford's fate.
Clifford and his attorney, Fred Bruno, say Vander Lee attempted to throw the first punch. Prosecutors say Clifford's punch was unprovoked and noted that Clifford is a highly trained police officer with 19 years' experience on the Minneapolis force.
