Subway gunman Bernhard Goetz filed a $1.5 million lawsuit in federal court Wednesday, claiming a "politically motivated" district attorney violated his civil rights for prosecuting him in the shooting of four youths.
The suit named Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who obtained a second indictment against Goetz, and assistant district attorneys Gregory Waples and Robert Pitler.Waples ultimately prosecuted Goetz for the December 1984 shooting of four youths on a subway crowded with Christmas shoppers.
Goetz was convicted in June 1987 of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon but cleared of attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment charges. He served six months in jail.