Philadelphia Police Caught Beating Unarmed Victims

Philadelphia Police Caught Beating Unarmed Victims

In Philadelphia, six police officers have been removed from street patrols after they were videotaped beating three unarmed African American men. A local television news helicopter captured the scene of around a dozen officers pulling the victims from their car and kicking and punching them as they lay on the ground. The beating occurred after the shooting death of a police officer who had been pursuing three robbery suspects, two of whom were later caught. The three victims have all been charged with assault, conspiracy and endangering another person. The officers who beat them have not been charged.

5-5-2008
Philly policemen were videotaped stomping, kicking and beating three men suspected to be involved in a nearby shooting.
An attorney representing the men called it a brutal attack by cops. He also said one of the men had a baseball-sized welt on his forehead, multiple scrapes and bruises, and was barely conscious.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey who saw the video, said, "On the surface it certainly does not look good, regarding the amount of force that was used. But a full investigation is underway."

The video shows police cars chasing a gold sedan to a stop in the 3700 block of North Second Street.

Other police cars keep arriving. About six to eight officers, with guns drawn, swarm over the sedan, pulling open the driver's door. As more officers race up to the car, one beats the passenger's side with a baton.

All four doors are pulled open, and as each of the three men is pulled from the car, he is tossed to the street and surrounded by three to five officers.

A group of about three or four officers begin trying to handcuff the driver and can be seen delivering at least 13 kicks to the suspect's head and sides as well as several punches.

The passenger pulled from the rear seat is also kicked by a group of four officers as well as being struck four or five times by an officer who appears to be wielding a baton.

A canine officer stands nearby restraining an excited police dog.

The beating of the two suspects takes up a minute of the video. The remaining 10 minutes show officers rolling the suspects as they search their pockets, search the vehicle, and, ultimately, take them away in separate patrol vehicles.