trekbabe
Post Whore Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 1124 Location: Philly	Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 4:43 pm    Post subject: Philly Cops..........   Ya'd think I lived in L.A.......... Officer Investigated For Brutality Alleged Beating Victim's Lawyer Speaks To NBC 10 Man Considering Options POSTED: 8:37 am EDT May 4, 2005 UPDATED: 8:58 am EDT May 4, 2005 NBC 10 has learned more about the man allegedly beaten by Philadelphia police on a video filmed by Chopper 10 -- and about the officer at the center of the case. Neither man has been identified by NBC 10, pending a city investigation into the incident that was caught exclusively by Chopper 10 during a police pursuit. "The officer has an obligation to uphold the United States constitution and that officer failed to do that," said James Duckworth, the lawyer for the alleged victim. Duckworth exclusively told NBC 10 that his client "was doing fine," and he and his client were considering their legal options. NBC 10 has learned more about Duckworth's client. In April 1999, he pleaded guilty to simple assault and disorderly conduct, and in May 1999, he pleaded guilty to violating probation, criminal conspiracy, theft and criminal mischief charges. He then was sentenced to four to eight years in a state prison. Duckworth said that information was "irrelevant to the issue at hand." "The issue at hand was the way that the officer assaulted my client," Duckworth said. NBC 10 also has learned more about the officer's background. He joined the Philadelphia police force in January 1995, making him a 10-year veteran of the force. He was suspended in November 1995. He had been working on the narcotics strike force, but has been reassigned to desk duty while the beating incident is investigated. On Tuesday, only NBC 10 was there as Internal Affairs officers tried to locate and interview the alleged beating victim at his apartment. But the man at the center of this alleged police brutality case was nowhere to be found. On Tuesday, NBC 10 also tracked down two men who said that they were relatives of the alleged victim. They did not want to be identified, but said that they saw the man last Sunday, three days after Chopper 10 shot the encounter. "I saw him Sunday, he looked pretty bruised up. I only saw him for about five minutes, but he looked pretty bruised up," one of the men said. "(He was) cut around the eye, bruised so he was black and blue," said the second man. This is what NBC has learned about the incident on Thursday night. The victim, who police said was considered a burglary suspect, led Philadelphia police on a wild chase. It ended in Northeast Philadelphia when the man crashed his van and took off on foot. At that point, Chopper 10 arrived at the scene when two officers had subdued the man they suspected in a burglary and had him on the ground. Suddenly a third officer arrived, ran to where the suspect was on the ground and hit the man at least seven times. Philadelphia Police Department Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson held a news conference Tuesday to announce that the officer in question has been placed on desk duty pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs investigation. "I looked at the video that was provided to me by Channel 10 and it was disturbing to me, the things that I seen," Johnson said. Johnson promised that there would be a thorough investigation into the officer's actions, which could lead to criminal charges if they are warranted. Video Link: http://nbc10.feedroom.com/?fr_story=b42ec22c891e41b9e5367811cfc9d88c49320fd9
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