A Pittsburgh police officer pleaded no contest Thursday to driving drunk and striking a bicyclist in his pickup truck in June while off-duty.

Brian Martin, 36, will serve two to four days for driving under the influence, as well as one year probation for causing an accident involving death or injury. The incarceration will be served at the alternative DUI hotel program.

Mr. Martin previously was on leave from the Pittsburgh police after the incident. A spokeswoman on Thursday said because it’s a personnel matter, and because of the contract with the Fraternal Order of Police, she could not say whether he is still employed, and if so, in what capacity.

Martin’s conviction on a first degree misdemeanor means that he will lose his certification from the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission to be a police officer in Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh police officers were called to 705 Allegheny Ave. around 11 p.m. on June 19 for the report of a hit and run of a man on a bicycle.

When officers, arrived, they found the victim — a then-39-year-old man — with an abrasion on his lower left leg, as well as pain in his head. The man told officers he was riding his bike along the curb on Ridge Avenue heading toward Allegheny Avenue when he was struck from the rear by a pickup truck, according to the criminal complaint. The truck knocked him backward off the bike, causing him to strike his head on the road.

The truck then drove off without stopping, he said. Two witnesses in the area said they saw what happened and identified the vehicle involved as a black pickup — one of them was also able to record a full license plate, the complaint said.

After running the plate, officers learned that it tracked back to Brian M. Martin, a city police officer.

A Zone 1 lieutenant and commander then went to Mr. Martin's home, the complaint said, where they found the same pickup truck parked in the driveway.

They knocked on the door, and Mr. Martin answered, the complaint continued. He "appeared unsteady on his feet and displayed glassy eyes which was evident under the porch light," wrote Commander Michael Pilyih.

The commander said that when he asked Mr. Martin his current status and assignment with the bureau, "Martin seemed very confused and his initial answers were almost unintelligible."

When asked if Mr. Martin was in the North Side that night, Cmdr. Pilyih said “he did not think so. He stated ‘we were here partying.’ ”

The commander told Mr. Martin his truck was involved in a hit-and-run with a bicyclist 90 minutes earlier, and the man continued to act confused with slurred speech, the complaint said.

The next day, video at the scene of the crash confirmed what witnesses told police, the paperwork said, and officers got a search warrant for Mr. Martin's vehicle that evening.

According to the complaint, an investigator went to the victim’s home on June 21 to interview him. When the man answered the door, the complaint said, he appeared to be in distress from head pain and said he felt sluggish. He was advised to seek medical attention and said he'd go to the hospital.

The complaint said he was later diagnosed with a concussion. The investigator collected the man’s bicycle helmet as evidence. It had severe damage to the rear and left side.

As part of the investigation, officers also downloaded the GPS and data recorder data from Mr. Martin’s truck.

GPS on the truck showed it was on the North Side at 5:54 p.m. and parked outside Tequila Cowboy on North Shore Drive until 10:51 p.m.

Video from inside the bar showed Mr. Martin consuming eight 20-ounce Miller Lite beers and two shots in the time he was inside. Video of Mr. Martin leaving that night showed him “stumble” on his way back to his truck.

The truck's GPS system showed him in the 700 block of Allegheny Avenue at 10:53 p.m..

"The data recorder indicated hard braking, a pause, then reverse and a sudden acceleration," the criminal complaint said.

In addition to probation, Common Pleas Judge Kelly Bigley also ordered Mr. Martin to pay $999 in restitution.

First Published: March 12, 2020, 8:41 p.m.