WATERLOO - A Cedar Falls police officer injured while arresting a man during a March riot said the wound means the end of his law enforcement career.

"I won't be able to be a police officer any more," Marc Rath told jurors Wednesday during the trial of the man he was trying to arrest, Adam Lacrae Gray Roberts.

Roberts, a 21-year-old sophomore defensive back with the Panthers, is charged with inference causing serious injury and bodily injury for injuries to Rath and Lt. Michael McCallum, who were trying to disperse a crowd during a series of fights at The Main Event Center on University Avenue.

Two others associated with the University of Northern Iowa football team, Brandon Latrel Keith, 23, and Darrell Lee Lloyd, 21, were arrested and have pleaded guilty to similar charges in the incident.

Roberts has pleaded innocent, and his attorney said his client had no role in Rath and McCallum's injuries.

Rath, 36, a former Muscatine officer, had been on the Cedar Falls Police Department's tactical team and was a firearms instructor.

Now he is going through the disability process which he said will likely confirm his doctor's conclusion that his broken knee cap and broken femur will sideline him from future police work.

Rath used a leg brace up until two weeks ago and still walks with a limp. He is prohibited from running, jumping and wrestling - activities common for his job.

Before the injury, he had planned to continue working in law enforcement until he reached retirement age.

The wounded leg has also hurt his home life, Rath testified.

"I have two kids, and it's hard getting around," Rath said. "I can't teach my daughter how to ride a bike."

Rath and McCallum gave slightly different accounts of their encounter with Roberts.

Both officers had been called to The Main Event Center shortly before closing March 9 after two other officers on the scene requested backup for fights that broke out.

Keith was Tasered inside the center and was being taken into custody, and Roberts and Lloyd tried continually tried to approach Keith, despite police attempts to clear everyone from the building and parking lot.

Lloyd ignored orders to leave the area, and Rath squirted him with pepper spray when he came back at McCallum.

"He was coming back in an aggressive manner to Lt. McCallum," Rath said. "He wasn't happy."

Lloyd retreated five or six car lengths, and officers went to detain him when Roberts approached, McCallum said.

"I felt he was coming towards us to interfere with the arrest," McCallum said.

McCallum took hold of Roberts to arrest him, and Rath grabbed Roberts's other hand.

McCallum told jurors Roberts began struggling and pushed away. The three of them ended up on the hood of a car for a few seconds until the scuffle took them over the edge, and they landed on the ground, according to McCallum's account.

Rath didn't recall struggling on the hood but said he was trying to direct Roberts to the ground.

He told jurors he was holding onto Roberts when his own knee "popped" and bent. He went down with Roberts coming down on top of him and McCallum on top of Roberts.

Rath said Roberts didn't shove, grab or strike him before his knee went out.

Contact Jeff Reinitz at (319) 291-1578 or jeff.reinitz@wcfcourier.com.