*The court is currently in recess and is set to return at 1:30 p.m. The trial livestream will resume when the court is back in session. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The second trial against former Albuquerque Police Department Officer Kenneth Skeens began at around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday after th e April 2024 trial ended with a hung jury mistrial. Skeens is accused of using excessive force against Matthew McManus in August 2022, unlawfully arresting him while he was attempting to use cash to purchase a bicycle at an Albuquerque Target self-checkout. Bodycam footage shows Skeens asking McManus to collect his money and leave, threatening to issue a criminal trespass, and, eventually, taking McManus out of the store and detaining him. In the video, McManus appeared to be confused, trying to call 911 and not understanding that the men arresting him were police officers. Mistrial declared in case of former APD officer accused of dragging disabled man out of Target New Mexico's Attorney General filed criminal charges against Skeens, accusing him of restraining McManus against his will and knowing he did not have the authority to detain McManus legally. Skeens was charged with false imprisonment, battery, perjury, and making a false report after the arrest. He was fired from the Albuquerque Police Department and pleaded not guilty one year after the incident, in August 2023. First Trial - April 2024 In the first trial against Skeens, the state focused on whether Target asked Skeens to remove McManus or not. The state argued that Skeens pulled McManus out of Target without the lawful authority to do so and that he made false claims about the situation in his reports. Skeens took the stand and claimed that he believed Target asked him to remove McManus. The defense pointed out Target's history of bike thefts and focused on the fact that Target's asset protection specialist did not ask officers to stop when they pulled McManus out of the establishment. At the end of the April 2024 trial, Judge Britt M. Baca-Miller declared a mistrial as a result of a hung jury after they were unable to unanimously agree on a verdict. Second Trial - April 2025 Skeens is facing the charges of false imprisonment, perjury, and making a false report; the initial battery charge was dismissed by the prosecutor. Jury selection for the second trial began on Monday, March 31. ...read more read less