A former Philadelphia police officer who retired just before he was charged with repeatedly raping a girl starting when she was 12 will face trial, a judge ruled Thursday.
Tyrone Wiggins, 50, was arrested in November, a day after he retired following a two-year police investigation into the case.
During a hearing in Municipal Court, Judge Alfred J. DiBona ordered Wiggins held for trial on rape, statutory rape, and other charges.
The victim testified that the assaults had continued for eight years. She described a "series of horrible acts" by "someone who abused his position over years," Assistant District Attorney Mark Cipolletti said.
At the time of his arrest, Wiggins was teaching martial-arts classes at the Olney Recreation Center. The city Recreation Department did not know of his arrest until media reports a month later.
Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said there had been no deal to allow Wiggins to retire with his pension.
The victim has told police that Wiggins befriended her and her family when she started attending his karate class when she was 10.
Two years later, according to court records, Wiggins drove her to Fairmount Park in his van and exposed himself to her. A week later, he again took her to the park in his van and sexually assaulted her, the records said.
Over eight years, Wiggins sexually and physically assault the girl in his van, at his home, and elsewhere, the records said.
Internal Affairs first interviewed the victim in August 2007.
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Showing posts with label Philadelphia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia. Show all posts
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Officer Frank Tepper Stripped of His Badge
The off-duty police officer who shot and killed an unarmed 21-year-old man in November during a street fight will be stripped of his badge, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey announced yesterday.
Frank Tepper, 43, a 16-year veteran of the force, committed "numerous violations" of Police Department procedures when he opened fire on William Panas Jr. in the Port Richmond neighborhood where they both lived, according to an investigation by the department's Internal Affairs Division.
As of yesterday, Tepper was suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss him. He could not be reached for comment.
Panas' father, William Sr., said Ramsey called him to deliver the news.
"This is a great day," Panas said yesterday, his voice breaking. "This means he can't kill someone else's child while calling himself police."
A police cruiser was parked outside Tepper's home yesterday - police have guarded his house on Elkhart Street since the Nov. 21 shooting - and a memorial to Panas remained in place across the street.
Tepper has since moved to an undisclosed location.
Tepper also might face criminal charges. Last month, then-District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham announced a grand-jury probe into the case. That investigation is continuing and has no bearing on the decision to fire Tepper, Ramsey said in a news release.
District Attorney R. Seth Williams, who took office yesterday, said through a spokesman that he planned to review the case file today.
Said the elder Panas: "What we most want is for [Tepper] to be charged with murdering my son. We're very grateful he's been terminated, but the fact is he murdered my son for nothing. He should be punished for that."
The shooting of Panas, a well-known Port Richmond native who planned to open a corner barbershop, sparked outrage, particularly among neighbors of Tepper. Many have described Tepper as a hot-tempered bully often at war with the teenagers and young adults in his community.
Tepper also has a history of reaching for his gun to settle disputes.
Seven years before Panas' death, Tepper drew a firearm while arguing with a group of youths who had harassed Tepper's young son. As with Panas' shooting, Tepper was off duty at the time.
After that incident, Internal Affairs officers admonished Tepper, warning in a report that his actions "could have resulted in numerous injuries with the very real possibility of deadly force being used by him during this confrontation."
Tepper was assigned to the Civil Affairs Unit, whose duties include monitoring demonstrations and labor disputes. He was placed on desk duty after the shooting while the case was investigated, standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.
Panas' family and many in Port Richmond have been calling for action against Tepper since the night Tepper shot Panas during a large brawl that broke out in front of Tepper's Elkhart Street house. Some neighbors said the fight began in the house, at a family party, then spilled out into the street.
Police have said that Tepper tried to break up the fight and that he fired his gun after he was assaulted. Witnesses disputed that, saying that Tepper appeared drunk and that Panas never threatened him. No one in the crowd was armed.
By several accounts, Panas just happened to walk by with friends, and some witnesses said he tried to stop the fighting. Witnesses reported that when Tepper brandished a gun and chased off the brawlers, Panas said, "Come on, you're not going to shoot me."
Just before Tepper fired, witnesses said, his response was, essentially, "Oh, yeah?"
Panas was shot in the chest and died soon afterward.
Police have never commented on whether Tepper called 911 before getting involved in the fight, in accordance with the rules that govern off-duty officers, or whether he called 911 after the shooting.
The reaction from many Port Richmond residents was immediate and anguished. A memorial to Panas appeared at the scene of the shooting, with photographs and letters, and neighbors have held two marches in his honor.
"It was inevitable that he would kill someone," the elder Panas said of Tepper. "He should have been stopped a long time ago."
Frank Tepper, 43, a 16-year veteran of the force, committed "numerous violations" of Police Department procedures when he opened fire on William Panas Jr. in the Port Richmond neighborhood where they both lived, according to an investigation by the department's Internal Affairs Division.
As of yesterday, Tepper was suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss him. He could not be reached for comment.
Panas' father, William Sr., said Ramsey called him to deliver the news.
"This is a great day," Panas said yesterday, his voice breaking. "This means he can't kill someone else's child while calling himself police."
A police cruiser was parked outside Tepper's home yesterday - police have guarded his house on Elkhart Street since the Nov. 21 shooting - and a memorial to Panas remained in place across the street.
Tepper has since moved to an undisclosed location.
Tepper also might face criminal charges. Last month, then-District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham announced a grand-jury probe into the case. That investigation is continuing and has no bearing on the decision to fire Tepper, Ramsey said in a news release.
District Attorney R. Seth Williams, who took office yesterday, said through a spokesman that he planned to review the case file today.
Said the elder Panas: "What we most want is for [Tepper] to be charged with murdering my son. We're very grateful he's been terminated, but the fact is he murdered my son for nothing. He should be punished for that."
The shooting of Panas, a well-known Port Richmond native who planned to open a corner barbershop, sparked outrage, particularly among neighbors of Tepper. Many have described Tepper as a hot-tempered bully often at war with the teenagers and young adults in his community.
Tepper also has a history of reaching for his gun to settle disputes.
Seven years before Panas' death, Tepper drew a firearm while arguing with a group of youths who had harassed Tepper's young son. As with Panas' shooting, Tepper was off duty at the time.
After that incident, Internal Affairs officers admonished Tepper, warning in a report that his actions "could have resulted in numerous injuries with the very real possibility of deadly force being used by him during this confrontation."
Tepper was assigned to the Civil Affairs Unit, whose duties include monitoring demonstrations and labor disputes. He was placed on desk duty after the shooting while the case was investigated, standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.
Panas' family and many in Port Richmond have been calling for action against Tepper since the night Tepper shot Panas during a large brawl that broke out in front of Tepper's Elkhart Street house. Some neighbors said the fight began in the house, at a family party, then spilled out into the street.
Police have said that Tepper tried to break up the fight and that he fired his gun after he was assaulted. Witnesses disputed that, saying that Tepper appeared drunk and that Panas never threatened him. No one in the crowd was armed.
By several accounts, Panas just happened to walk by with friends, and some witnesses said he tried to stop the fighting. Witnesses reported that when Tepper brandished a gun and chased off the brawlers, Panas said, "Come on, you're not going to shoot me."
Just before Tepper fired, witnesses said, his response was, essentially, "Oh, yeah?"
Panas was shot in the chest and died soon afterward.
Police have never commented on whether Tepper called 911 before getting involved in the fight, in accordance with the rules that govern off-duty officers, or whether he called 911 after the shooting.
The reaction from many Port Richmond residents was immediate and anguished. A memorial to Panas appeared at the scene of the shooting, with photographs and letters, and neighbors have held two marches in his honor.
"It was inevitable that he would kill someone," the elder Panas said of Tepper. "He should have been stopped a long time ago."
Friday, June 19, 2009
Former Detective Rickie Durham on House Arrest for Obstruction of Justice
Suspended Philadelphia police detective Rickie Durham pleaded not guilty to obstruction-of-justice charges yesterday and was placed under house arrest during a brief hearing in U.S. District Court.
Judge David R. Strawbridge rejected a prosecution motion to deny Durham bail and instead set restrictions aimed at addressing the government's concern that Durham might try to influence witnesses in the case against him.
In a cramped fifth-floor courtroom packed with relatives and friends, including several off-duty police officers, Durham responded with a firm "not guilty" when the six charges were read to him.
The 12-year police veteran has been suspended with intent to dismiss, a procedure that will result in his firing within 30 days.
He has been charged with knowingly leaking information to a drug kingpin about a pending law enforcement raid and then lying to investigators about it.
His lawyer, Fortunato N. Perri Jr., told Strawbridge that Durham was a "dedicated police officer" and intended to fight the charges.
Pointing to the members of the department who had turned out for the hearing, Perri said, "Law enforcement has a different view than the government. . . . Law enforcement has not turned their back on Rickie Durham."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bresnick had argued that Durham should be denied bail and jailed pending trial.
In a detention motion and in arguments in open court, Bresnick contended that Durham had violated his oath as a police officer by tipping off Alton "Ace Capone" Coles about a series of raids Aug. 10, 2005.
Bresnick argued that Durham had "risked the lives of hundreds of his fellow officers, who unwittingly could have walked into a firestorm of bullets as a result of his obstructive conduct."
He contended that if left free, Durham would be "a serious risk of continuing to obstruct justice in the case that awaits him."
Strawbridge, however, ruled that Durham would be placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring at his home in the 1600 block of East Mount Pleasant Avenue; that the house, owned by Durham's wife, would be used as collateral for a $50,000 bail bond; that Durham would report to pretrial-services officials twice a week; and that he could not have any contact with any potential witness in the case.
The charges appear to be built around information provided by Jerome "Pooh" Richardson, a former Philadelphia high school and NBA basketball standout.
Durham and Richardson have been friends for years. Richardson's half-sister, Aysa, was Coles' live-in girlfriend in August 2005.
Durham was one of more than 200 law enforcement agents assigned to take part in predawn raids aimed at the Coles drug organization that Aug. 10.
A few hours before the raids went off, Durham called Pooh Richardson, who lives in California.
The indictment alleges that Durham made the call knowing that Richardson would in turn call his sister and tip her and Coles off about the raids.
Durham has said he made the call merely to gather information for the investigation. He has subsequently acknowledged that the call was "poor judgment," but has insisted he had no intention of leaking information.
What Durham said to Richardson during their phone call will be at the heart of the case. Richardson is cooperating with authorities.
The raids went off as planned.
Coles, who was charged with heading a multimillion-dollar cocaine operation, was eventually convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to life plus 55 years.
Judge David R. Strawbridge rejected a prosecution motion to deny Durham bail and instead set restrictions aimed at addressing the government's concern that Durham might try to influence witnesses in the case against him.
In a cramped fifth-floor courtroom packed with relatives and friends, including several off-duty police officers, Durham responded with a firm "not guilty" when the six charges were read to him.
The 12-year police veteran has been suspended with intent to dismiss, a procedure that will result in his firing within 30 days.
He has been charged with knowingly leaking information to a drug kingpin about a pending law enforcement raid and then lying to investigators about it.
His lawyer, Fortunato N. Perri Jr., told Strawbridge that Durham was a "dedicated police officer" and intended to fight the charges.
Pointing to the members of the department who had turned out for the hearing, Perri said, "Law enforcement has a different view than the government. . . . Law enforcement has not turned their back on Rickie Durham."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bresnick had argued that Durham should be denied bail and jailed pending trial.
In a detention motion and in arguments in open court, Bresnick contended that Durham had violated his oath as a police officer by tipping off Alton "Ace Capone" Coles about a series of raids Aug. 10, 2005.
Bresnick argued that Durham had "risked the lives of hundreds of his fellow officers, who unwittingly could have walked into a firestorm of bullets as a result of his obstructive conduct."
He contended that if left free, Durham would be "a serious risk of continuing to obstruct justice in the case that awaits him."
Strawbridge, however, ruled that Durham would be placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring at his home in the 1600 block of East Mount Pleasant Avenue; that the house, owned by Durham's wife, would be used as collateral for a $50,000 bail bond; that Durham would report to pretrial-services officials twice a week; and that he could not have any contact with any potential witness in the case.
The charges appear to be built around information provided by Jerome "Pooh" Richardson, a former Philadelphia high school and NBA basketball standout.
Durham and Richardson have been friends for years. Richardson's half-sister, Aysa, was Coles' live-in girlfriend in August 2005.
Durham was one of more than 200 law enforcement agents assigned to take part in predawn raids aimed at the Coles drug organization that Aug. 10.
A few hours before the raids went off, Durham called Pooh Richardson, who lives in California.
The indictment alleges that Durham made the call knowing that Richardson would in turn call his sister and tip her and Coles off about the raids.
Durham has said he made the call merely to gather information for the investigation. He has subsequently acknowledged that the call was "poor judgment," but has insisted he had no intention of leaking information.
What Durham said to Richardson during their phone call will be at the heart of the case. Richardson is cooperating with authorities.
The raids went off as planned.
Coles, who was charged with heading a multimillion-dollar cocaine operation, was eventually convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to life plus 55 years.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
No Bail for Officer Alhinde Weems Arrested for Selling Drugs
Some startling information has surfaced in a bail hearing for a Philadelphia police officer accused of selling drugs and planning violent robberies.
Officer Alhinde Weems, arrested last week, has been ordered held without bail until his trial, based on some stunning allegations revealed during Thursday's hearing.
Federal prosecutors say Weems is a drug-dealing robber armed with a gun, a police badge, and a uniform, and willing to use all of them to carry out his crimes.
According to authorities, Weems was caught on audio tape and videotape making illegal transactions and planning to force his way into the home of a drug distributor, and confessed when he was arrested.
FBI agent John Dolan testified that Weems sold cocaine to a cooperating informant, transported what he thought was a kilogram of cocaine from one undercover agent to another, and plotted with an undercover agent the armed home-invasion robbery of another supposed supplier.
And Dolan recounted some of the specifics caught on tape:
"He provided possible plans as to how to commit the act, including possibly 'badging' his way into the home. He said he would wear his body armor. He also would provide guns with silencers."
Many of Weems' family members were in the courtroom for his bail hearing to support him. But the judge found probable cause and ruled that Weems is a potential danger to the community, so he will be held without bail pending his trial.
Weems' defense attorneys have suggested that their client was coaxed into some of the illegal activities, and attorney Charles Peruto Jr. says Weems will fight the charges against him in court.
Officer Alhinde Weems, arrested last week, has been ordered held without bail until his trial, based on some stunning allegations revealed during Thursday's hearing.
Federal prosecutors say Weems is a drug-dealing robber armed with a gun, a police badge, and a uniform, and willing to use all of them to carry out his crimes.
According to authorities, Weems was caught on audio tape and videotape making illegal transactions and planning to force his way into the home of a drug distributor, and confessed when he was arrested.
FBI agent John Dolan testified that Weems sold cocaine to a cooperating informant, transported what he thought was a kilogram of cocaine from one undercover agent to another, and plotted with an undercover agent the armed home-invasion robbery of another supposed supplier.
And Dolan recounted some of the specifics caught on tape:
"He provided possible plans as to how to commit the act, including possibly 'badging' his way into the home. He said he would wear his body armor. He also would provide guns with silencers."
Many of Weems' family members were in the courtroom for his bail hearing to support him. But the judge found probable cause and ruled that Weems is a potential danger to the community, so he will be held without bail pending his trial.
Weems' defense attorneys have suggested that their client was coaxed into some of the illegal activities, and attorney Charles Peruto Jr. says Weems will fight the charges against him in court.
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Friday, March 27, 2009
Officer Alhinde Weems Accused of Selling Cocaine
PHILADELPHIA
A Philadelphia police officer was accused Friday of selling cocaine to an informant and later plotting with an undercover agent to conduct an armed raid on the home of a person he believed to be a drug supplier.
Alhinde Weems, 33, was a longtime drug dealer prior to becoming an officer more than five years ago and continued to deal drugs while he was on the force, federal authorities alleged in an affidavit. The FBI arrested Weems Friday, authorities said.
Police said they do not believe any other officers are involved.
"This man dishonored the badge in a way that's unconscionable to us," Deputy Police Commissioner Richard Ross said at a news conference, adding that Weems has been suspended with intent to dismiss. "This case starts and stops with Weems. This is it."
Ross said the department thoroughly screens police candidates and will conduct an internal investigation to see how an alleged drug dealer got onto the force.
Investigators with the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives declined to say where Weems was allegedly dealing or if he is alleged to have dealt drugs while on the job.
Weems and a co-defendant are charged with conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, and a firearms charge. Federal authorities said additional charges could be filed.
The investigation began in December when an informant told authorities that Weems was a drug dealer, according to the affidavit. The informant bought about one ounce of crack cocaine from Weems on Dec. 17, followed by a purchase of two ounces on Jan. 14, authorities allege.
On Jan. 29, Weems and the informant bought a kilogram of simulated cocaine from an undercover ATF agent, according to the affidavit.
A month later, authorities allege, Weems told the undercover agent he was interested in robbing the agent's drug supplier. A home invasion was scheduled for Friday, authorities said, and Weems and another man stated they "would be ready to shoot if necessary."
Friday's arrest happened at an undisclosed location where Weems and Smith had planned to meet with the undercover agent, according to the affidavit. Weems had a gun and his police badge on him when he was arrested, the affidavit said.
Tom Stankiewicz, assistant special agent with the ATF, said the arrest shows that authorities will not tolerate wrongdoing by police officers or anyone else.
"It doesn't matter if you're wearing a badge, a gun or a uniform," Stankiewicz said.
Authorities did not know if Weems, who is being held without bail, had obtained an attorney. His telephone number was unlisted.
John McNesby, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police lodge in Philadelphia, said the organization would not be representing Weems.
"The FOP is not going to stand behind a drug dealer cop," McNesby said.
Weems is married and a father of five.
If convicted, he faces 5-25 years behind bars. He is being held without bail.
A Philadelphia police officer was accused Friday of selling cocaine to an informant and later plotting with an undercover agent to conduct an armed raid on the home of a person he believed to be a drug supplier.
Alhinde Weems, 33, was a longtime drug dealer prior to becoming an officer more than five years ago and continued to deal drugs while he was on the force, federal authorities alleged in an affidavit. The FBI arrested Weems Friday, authorities said.
Police said they do not believe any other officers are involved.
"This man dishonored the badge in a way that's unconscionable to us," Deputy Police Commissioner Richard Ross said at a news conference, adding that Weems has been suspended with intent to dismiss. "This case starts and stops with Weems. This is it."
Ross said the department thoroughly screens police candidates and will conduct an internal investigation to see how an alleged drug dealer got onto the force.
Investigators with the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives declined to say where Weems was allegedly dealing or if he is alleged to have dealt drugs while on the job.
Weems and a co-defendant are charged with conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, and a firearms charge. Federal authorities said additional charges could be filed.
The investigation began in December when an informant told authorities that Weems was a drug dealer, according to the affidavit. The informant bought about one ounce of crack cocaine from Weems on Dec. 17, followed by a purchase of two ounces on Jan. 14, authorities allege.
On Jan. 29, Weems and the informant bought a kilogram of simulated cocaine from an undercover ATF agent, according to the affidavit.
A month later, authorities allege, Weems told the undercover agent he was interested in robbing the agent's drug supplier. A home invasion was scheduled for Friday, authorities said, and Weems and another man stated they "would be ready to shoot if necessary."
Friday's arrest happened at an undisclosed location where Weems and Smith had planned to meet with the undercover agent, according to the affidavit. Weems had a gun and his police badge on him when he was arrested, the affidavit said.
Tom Stankiewicz, assistant special agent with the ATF, said the arrest shows that authorities will not tolerate wrongdoing by police officers or anyone else.
"It doesn't matter if you're wearing a badge, a gun or a uniform," Stankiewicz said.
Authorities did not know if Weems, who is being held without bail, had obtained an attorney. His telephone number was unlisted.
John McNesby, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police lodge in Philadelphia, said the organization would not be representing Weems.
"The FOP is not going to stand behind a drug dealer cop," McNesby said.
Weems is married and a father of five.
If convicted, he faces 5-25 years behind bars. He is being held without bail.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Two Officers Argue while Wounded, Handcuffed Suspect Bleeds on the Ground
A YouTube video purportedly showing a wounded, handcuffed suspect bleeding on the ground as two Philadelphia police officers argue nearby has sparked a federal investigation.
The 59-second clip captures an explicit verbal exchange between a female sergeant and a male highway patrol officer shortly after Marcus Henderson was allegedly shot by cops, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.
The Internal Affairs Division, which the paper said announced plans to investigate, has not identified the officers in the video. The clip has been removed from file-sharing Web site YouTube.
The female sergeant, a supervisor, reportedly shouts instructions at the patrol officer about what to do with the suspect.
"Don't tell me what to do! He's f——— shot! He's going to a hospital!" the sergeant screams, according to the News.
The officer yells back that Henderson aimed a gun at his partner.
"I'm not telling you what to do!" he retorts. "I'm telling you what happened!"
Witnesses told MyFOXPhilly.com that the officer resisted her orders because he didn’t want to put the wounded man in his patrol car.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told the News that a primary focus of the investigation isn't the officers' dispute — it's reports from witnesses that the male officer kicked the wounded suspect while he was on the ground bleeding and refused to use his patrol car to drive Henderson, 35, to the hospital.
"It doesn't look good," Ramsey told the paper. "We're concerned about it. It's probably just a misunderstanding, but we’re looking at it."
Henderson, who was eventually taken to the hospital with wounds to the arm and torso, is recovering behind bars until a Feb. 18 preliminary hearing.
He reportedly pointed a 9mm handgun at police twice, according to the News.
"The suspect was writhing around," the YouTube video photographer's brother told the paper. "It looked like he had been shot in his body, but he managed to get up on his knees."
Internal Affairs Chief Inspector Anthony DiLacqua said witnesses will be interviewed this week.
"We’ll get to the bottom of it," he told the News.
The 59-second clip captures an explicit verbal exchange between a female sergeant and a male highway patrol officer shortly after Marcus Henderson was allegedly shot by cops, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.
The Internal Affairs Division, which the paper said announced plans to investigate, has not identified the officers in the video. The clip has been removed from file-sharing Web site YouTube.
The female sergeant, a supervisor, reportedly shouts instructions at the patrol officer about what to do with the suspect.
"Don't tell me what to do! He's f——— shot! He's going to a hospital!" the sergeant screams, according to the News.
The officer yells back that Henderson aimed a gun at his partner.
"I'm not telling you what to do!" he retorts. "I'm telling you what happened!"
Witnesses told MyFOXPhilly.com that the officer resisted her orders because he didn’t want to put the wounded man in his patrol car.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told the News that a primary focus of the investigation isn't the officers' dispute — it's reports from witnesses that the male officer kicked the wounded suspect while he was on the ground bleeding and refused to use his patrol car to drive Henderson, 35, to the hospital.
"It doesn't look good," Ramsey told the paper. "We're concerned about it. It's probably just a misunderstanding, but we’re looking at it."
Henderson, who was eventually taken to the hospital with wounds to the arm and torso, is recovering behind bars until a Feb. 18 preliminary hearing.
He reportedly pointed a 9mm handgun at police twice, according to the News.
"The suspect was writhing around," the YouTube video photographer's brother told the paper. "It looked like he had been shot in his body, but he managed to get up on his knees."
Internal Affairs Chief Inspector Anthony DiLacqua said witnesses will be interviewed this week.
"We’ll get to the bottom of it," he told the News.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Philadelphia Man Arrested over Anti-police Video
PHILADELPHIA
A man who authorities say posted an Internet video showing himself waving a gun and claiming to rejoice whenever a police officer is shot in the city was arrested Thursday.
Andre Moore, 44, of West Philadelphia, faces charges of aggravated assault, terroristic threats, corruption of morals of a minor and harassment, police Lt. John Walker said.
In the video posted on YouTube, a man authorities identified as Moore complains about officers in West Philadelphia's 18th police district, calling them "a bunch of liars" and saying he celebrates "whenever they shoot a cop in Philadelphia."
At another point, he is shown waving a gun and talking about officer shootings in the city. According to a probable cause affidavit, the man removes the ammunition magazine from the gun, racks the slide, points the pistol at the camera and pulls the trigger as he speaks.
"Boom! ... When you shoot the cop, you shoot them dead, OK? Anywhere, head or the heart. That's why the last cops lost their lives," he says.
Three city police officers have been killed in the line of duty in a little more than two years.
An arrest warrant was issued for Moore after he was identified in the video, which was posted June 7, said Kevin Harley, spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office. The video was removed from YouTube following Moore's arrest at his apartment, police said.
"We believe these were terroristic threats that are not protected by the First Amendment, particularly when he encourages people to promote violence in Philadelphia and when he shows people how to use a gun to shoot a cop," Harley said.
Arrest documents said Moore works as a security guard at Albert Einstein Medical Center, where Officer Chuck Cassidy died after being shot during a robbery on Oct. 31.
Moore remained in custody Thursday and it was unclear whether he had an attorney.
A man who authorities say posted an Internet video showing himself waving a gun and claiming to rejoice whenever a police officer is shot in the city was arrested Thursday.
Andre Moore, 44, of West Philadelphia, faces charges of aggravated assault, terroristic threats, corruption of morals of a minor and harassment, police Lt. John Walker said.
In the video posted on YouTube, a man authorities identified as Moore complains about officers in West Philadelphia's 18th police district, calling them "a bunch of liars" and saying he celebrates "whenever they shoot a cop in Philadelphia."
At another point, he is shown waving a gun and talking about officer shootings in the city. According to a probable cause affidavit, the man removes the ammunition magazine from the gun, racks the slide, points the pistol at the camera and pulls the trigger as he speaks.
"Boom! ... When you shoot the cop, you shoot them dead, OK? Anywhere, head or the heart. That's why the last cops lost their lives," he says.
Three city police officers have been killed in the line of duty in a little more than two years.
An arrest warrant was issued for Moore after he was identified in the video, which was posted June 7, said Kevin Harley, spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office. The video was removed from YouTube following Moore's arrest at his apartment, police said.
"We believe these were terroristic threats that are not protected by the First Amendment, particularly when he encourages people to promote violence in Philadelphia and when he shows people how to use a gun to shoot a cop," Harley said.
Arrest documents said Moore works as a security guard at Albert Einstein Medical Center, where Officer Chuck Cassidy died after being shot during a robbery on Oct. 31.
Moore remained in custody Thursday and it was unclear whether he had an attorney.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Two Philadelphia Officers charged with beating graffiti artist
Two Philadelphia police officers were charged this morning with beating up a 36-year-man they found painting graffiti in August, and falsifying records to make it appear they had not been near the encounter.
District Attorney Lynn M. Abraham announced the charges against Officers Sheldon Fitzgerald and Howard Hill III, both five-year veterans from the 25th district. Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said the pair were suspended without pay and would be fired.
The charges come on the heels of Ramsey's decision last week to discipline eight officers -- including firing four -- for using excessive force in a videotaped beating earlier this month.
Abraham said it was a coincidence that the latest charges were filed now. "I don't time anything," she said.
Abraham said the two officers stopped David Vernitsky, 36, at 12:30 a.m. on August 26 near 4th Street and Wyoming Avenue in Feltonville, where they found him spray-painting graffiti on the wall of a friend who was newly married. She said Vernitsky fled, the officers caught him, beat him, handcuffed him and tossed him in the back of their patrol car, head first.
After running a check on his records and finding no outstanding warrants against Vernitsky, the officers released him. Two friends who had seen part of the alleged assault took Vernitsky to the hospital, where he was treated for a broken jaw that required his jaw be wired shut for five weeks. He also lost three teeth.
Vernitsky was not charged with anything, Abraham said.
The officers then attempted to cover up their encounter by filing a false entry in their patrol log showing they were at another location at the time, Abraham said.
"This is another statement that excessive force will not be tolerated," said Ramsey, who attended the district attorney's news conference.
John J. McNesby, president of Lodge Five of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the allegations against the officers were a "fabrication" and the police union would defend its members.
"Instead of tracking the murder rate in Philadelphia, they should start tracking the persecution rate of Philadelphia police officers for going out and doing their job on a daily basis," he said.
More Cops Accused of Brutality
THERE IS JUSTICE. Then there's street justice.
David Vernitsky said yesterday that he felt like he got a painful dose of both.
"Those officers shouldn't have done what they did," Vernitsky remarked, understatedly.
In a move that rattled the city's law-enforcement community, District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham yesterday filed criminal charges against two police officers accused of busting Vernitsky's jaw after catching him spray-painting a congratulatory message to a newlywed couple on a wall in North Philadelphia.
Not only did the officers unmercifully beat Vernitsky, said Abraham, but they tried to cover up the thrashing by intentionally failing to document the pedestrian stop. After working over Vernitsky, the officers told him to scram, she said. He was not charged with a crime.
Abraham ordered the two officers - Sheldon Fitzgerald and Howard Hill III - to turn themselves in and submit to arrest within 72 hours. The officers, both five-year veterans from the 25th District on Whitaker Avenue near Erie, have been suspended without pay and will be fired, authorities said.
The charges came a week after Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey fired four officers and disciplined four others for their role in a videotaped beating that gave Philadelphia a black eye. Hill and Fitzgerald, who did not return phone messages left by the Daily News, were not involved in the May 5 beating, authorities said.
Ramsey stood stoically by Abraham's side as she detailed the case against Hill, 30, and Fitzgerald, 29, during a morning news conference at the District Attorney's Office in Center City.
"I do think it's an understatement that excessive force simply will not be tolerated in our department," Ramsey said after Abraham finished. "It's very unfortunate in the sense that, in light of the most recent videotaped incident, these things coming in short order."
For the second time this month, Ramsey stressed that the behavior of these officers was not a reflection on the 6,700-member force as a whole.
And once again, John J. McNesby, president of Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police, lashed out at Ramsey.
"This is a disgrace," McNesby said yesterday. "It can't get any worse . . . Instead of tracking murders in Philadelphia, we should be tracking the persecution of police officers. It's open season on police officers. Not only do we have to watch out for the criminals on the street, but we have to watch out for the people we work for."
McNesby said he believes that Vernitsky fabricated the allegations against Fitzgerald and Hill, and asserted that Vernitsky didn't immediately go to the hospital. McNesby also said Internal Affairs investigators have yet to interview Fitzgerald and Hill to get their version of events.
Vernitsky, 37, seemed a bit shell-shocked by the media attention. In the early afternoon, reporters staked out his home in the city's Logan section, then waited for him to arrive at his job at a North Philly packaging company.
Vernitsky responded to questions from a reporter with "yes, "no," and "I don't know" - the latter when asked if he planned to file a civil lawsuit. He said he wished the officers had simply arrested him for the graffiti, rather than attack and release him.
Vernitsky's police encounter began at about 12:30 a.m. last Aug. 26, near 4th Street and Wyoming Avenue, where Fitzgerald and Hill spotted him spray-painting on the wall of a beauty-supply business.
He had just attended a wedding in Port Richmond with some other buddies and wanted to scrawl a tribute to the couple. He had spray-painted the first few letters when Fitzgerald and Hill drove by in a police cruiser, according to Abraham.
Hill, who was driving, made a quick U-turn and Vernitsky ran off. That's when Fitzgerald jumped out of the squad car, chasing Vernitsky. When Fitzgerald caught up to Vernitsky, he knocked him down and kicked and punched him, Abraham said. Hill then exited the car and joined his partner, she said.
"The two officers began to pummel and kick and beat Mister Vernitsky," Abraham said.
The officers then handcuffed Vernitsky, then 36, and threw him into the police car. They searched his pockets and demanded to know if he was wanted for any crimes, Abraham said.
When the officers learned Vernitsky was not on a wanted list, they returned his identification and told him to get lost, she said.
Vernitsky's friends caught up with him about half block from the graffiti spot. They took him home, and later to the Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he was hospitalized for five days for a broken and dislocated jaw, bruises, and injuries to his face, ribs and groin, Abraham said.
The next morning, Vernitsky's mother contacted Internal Affairs, which launched an investigation and later referred the case to city prosecutors, Abraham said.
Abraham charged Fitzgerald and Hill with aggravated assault, a first-degree felony, simple assault, reckless endangerment, tampering with public records and criminal conspiracy. Abraham said the officers could face substantial prison time.
In addition, Ramsey has reopened a previously closed citizen complaint filed against Fitzgerald and Hill in 2007. That complaint waged allegations similar to Vernitsky's, said police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore.
"There was a complaint in their history that was very similar to this allegation," Vanore said. "In light of this case, the commissioner wanted it reopened."
Internal Affairs investigators were unable to sustain the allegations in that case because the victim was uncooperative, Vanore said.
Yesterday, Kelvyn Anderson, deputy director of the Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission, said Abraham's actions against Fitzgerald and Hill were highly unusual, if not unprecedented.
"It's certainly rather extraordinary for the district attorney to take such a step," Anderson said. "Obviously they felt that they had enough evidence to do so. It will be interesting to see what happens from here."
Hill comes from a law-enforcement family. His brother is a police officer in the 15th District in the Northeast and his father is a retired corrections officer.
Howard Hill Jr., 52, defended his son yesterday, calling him an honest and hardworking man who defended his country while in the Army.
"It almost seems like a witch hunt," Hill Jr. said.
"What aggravates me is he is not being given the benefit of the doubt. The district attorney is turning around and making it sound like he's already been convicted, and that's wrong. That's defamation of character."
He said his son learned about the allegations against him on April 18. His son came to him, his head in his hands. When he looked up at his father, he had tears in his eyes. He swore that the allegations were untrue, Hill Jr. said.
"I said, 'As your father, I want to know the truth.' I asked him straight out," Hill Jr. said. "You can tell when you have a kid when there is something they are telling you that's not the truth. I can just look at him and know. He's got one of those faces."
Hill Jr. said his son explained that if he had used force against someone, there'd be a reason and the person would be arrested.
"It just doesn't add up," Hill Jr. said. "The whole thing stinks to high heaven."
Hill Jr. questioned what kind of man, especially a 36-year-old, would be out in the middle of the night spray-painting a wall.
Vernitsky has had a few prior brushes with the law. In 2006, he was charged with criminal mischief. A judge sentenced him to 25 hours of community service. In 1997, he was charged with arson, reckless endangerment, risking catastrophe and criminal mischief. He was found guilty of criminal mischief only and got one year probation, court records show.
David Vernitsky said yesterday that he felt like he got a painful dose of both.
"Those officers shouldn't have done what they did," Vernitsky remarked, understatedly.
In a move that rattled the city's law-enforcement community, District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham yesterday filed criminal charges against two police officers accused of busting Vernitsky's jaw after catching him spray-painting a congratulatory message to a newlywed couple on a wall in North Philadelphia.
Not only did the officers unmercifully beat Vernitsky, said Abraham, but they tried to cover up the thrashing by intentionally failing to document the pedestrian stop. After working over Vernitsky, the officers told him to scram, she said. He was not charged with a crime.
Abraham ordered the two officers - Sheldon Fitzgerald and Howard Hill III - to turn themselves in and submit to arrest within 72 hours. The officers, both five-year veterans from the 25th District on Whitaker Avenue near Erie, have been suspended without pay and will be fired, authorities said.
The charges came a week after Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey fired four officers and disciplined four others for their role in a videotaped beating that gave Philadelphia a black eye. Hill and Fitzgerald, who did not return phone messages left by the Daily News, were not involved in the May 5 beating, authorities said.
Ramsey stood stoically by Abraham's side as she detailed the case against Hill, 30, and Fitzgerald, 29, during a morning news conference at the District Attorney's Office in Center City.
"I do think it's an understatement that excessive force simply will not be tolerated in our department," Ramsey said after Abraham finished. "It's very unfortunate in the sense that, in light of the most recent videotaped incident, these things coming in short order."
For the second time this month, Ramsey stressed that the behavior of these officers was not a reflection on the 6,700-member force as a whole.
And once again, John J. McNesby, president of Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police, lashed out at Ramsey.
"This is a disgrace," McNesby said yesterday. "It can't get any worse . . . Instead of tracking murders in Philadelphia, we should be tracking the persecution of police officers. It's open season on police officers. Not only do we have to watch out for the criminals on the street, but we have to watch out for the people we work for."
McNesby said he believes that Vernitsky fabricated the allegations against Fitzgerald and Hill, and asserted that Vernitsky didn't immediately go to the hospital. McNesby also said Internal Affairs investigators have yet to interview Fitzgerald and Hill to get their version of events.
Vernitsky, 37, seemed a bit shell-shocked by the media attention. In the early afternoon, reporters staked out his home in the city's Logan section, then waited for him to arrive at his job at a North Philly packaging company.
Vernitsky responded to questions from a reporter with "yes, "no," and "I don't know" - the latter when asked if he planned to file a civil lawsuit. He said he wished the officers had simply arrested him for the graffiti, rather than attack and release him.
Vernitsky's police encounter began at about 12:30 a.m. last Aug. 26, near 4th Street and Wyoming Avenue, where Fitzgerald and Hill spotted him spray-painting on the wall of a beauty-supply business.
He had just attended a wedding in Port Richmond with some other buddies and wanted to scrawl a tribute to the couple. He had spray-painted the first few letters when Fitzgerald and Hill drove by in a police cruiser, according to Abraham.
Hill, who was driving, made a quick U-turn and Vernitsky ran off. That's when Fitzgerald jumped out of the squad car, chasing Vernitsky. When Fitzgerald caught up to Vernitsky, he knocked him down and kicked and punched him, Abraham said. Hill then exited the car and joined his partner, she said.
"The two officers began to pummel and kick and beat Mister Vernitsky," Abraham said.
The officers then handcuffed Vernitsky, then 36, and threw him into the police car. They searched his pockets and demanded to know if he was wanted for any crimes, Abraham said.
When the officers learned Vernitsky was not on a wanted list, they returned his identification and told him to get lost, she said.
Vernitsky's friends caught up with him about half block from the graffiti spot. They took him home, and later to the Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he was hospitalized for five days for a broken and dislocated jaw, bruises, and injuries to his face, ribs and groin, Abraham said.
The next morning, Vernitsky's mother contacted Internal Affairs, which launched an investigation and later referred the case to city prosecutors, Abraham said.
Abraham charged Fitzgerald and Hill with aggravated assault, a first-degree felony, simple assault, reckless endangerment, tampering with public records and criminal conspiracy. Abraham said the officers could face substantial prison time.
In addition, Ramsey has reopened a previously closed citizen complaint filed against Fitzgerald and Hill in 2007. That complaint waged allegations similar to Vernitsky's, said police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore.
"There was a complaint in their history that was very similar to this allegation," Vanore said. "In light of this case, the commissioner wanted it reopened."
Internal Affairs investigators were unable to sustain the allegations in that case because the victim was uncooperative, Vanore said.
Yesterday, Kelvyn Anderson, deputy director of the Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission, said Abraham's actions against Fitzgerald and Hill were highly unusual, if not unprecedented.
"It's certainly rather extraordinary for the district attorney to take such a step," Anderson said. "Obviously they felt that they had enough evidence to do so. It will be interesting to see what happens from here."
Hill comes from a law-enforcement family. His brother is a police officer in the 15th District in the Northeast and his father is a retired corrections officer.
Howard Hill Jr., 52, defended his son yesterday, calling him an honest and hardworking man who defended his country while in the Army.
"It almost seems like a witch hunt," Hill Jr. said.
"What aggravates me is he is not being given the benefit of the doubt. The district attorney is turning around and making it sound like he's already been convicted, and that's wrong. That's defamation of character."
He said his son learned about the allegations against him on April 18. His son came to him, his head in his hands. When he looked up at his father, he had tears in his eyes. He swore that the allegations were untrue, Hill Jr. said.
"I said, 'As your father, I want to know the truth.' I asked him straight out," Hill Jr. said. "You can tell when you have a kid when there is something they are telling you that's not the truth. I can just look at him and know. He's got one of those faces."
Hill Jr. said his son explained that if he had used force against someone, there'd be a reason and the person would be arrested.
"It just doesn't add up," Hill Jr. said. "The whole thing stinks to high heaven."
Hill Jr. questioned what kind of man, especially a 36-year-old, would be out in the middle of the night spray-painting a wall.
Vernitsky has had a few prior brushes with the law. In 2006, he was charged with criminal mischief. A judge sentenced him to 25 hours of community service. In 1997, he was charged with arson, reckless endangerment, risking catastrophe and criminal mischief. He was found guilty of criminal mischief only and got one year probation, court records show.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
15 Philly Officers Beat Suspects
Philadelphia Police officers are investigating several of their own officers after a video surfaces showing several officers kicking and beating three suspects after being pulled from a car during a traffic stop.
The scenes were caught on tape by a TV helicopter crew on Monday. The footage shows three police cars stopping a car. About a dozen officers are seen gathering around the vehicle and pulling three men out. Some of the officers hold two of the men on the ground. Both are then kicked repeatedly, while one is seen being punched and struck with a baton. The third man is also pulled out and kicked.
The city's police commissioner on Tuesday said the video ''certainly does not look good'', but stressed the force did not want to ''rush to judgment''.
The officers were responding to a report of a shooting nearby, police said.
The commissioner told reporters that the suspects ''had been observed involved at a triple shooting at the time''.
Philadelphia officers have been on edge since Saturday, when an officer was fatally shot with an assault rifle after a robbery.
One of the robbery suspects was fatally shot by police, another was arrested on Sunday and a third remains on the run.
The officer was the third one slain on duty in the city in the last two years.
An attorney for one of the men said he did not know what preceded the traffic stop in the city's Hunting Park neighborhood, but that the video showed an unjustified police beating. He went on to say that police told him all three men would be charged with aggravated assault.
Video...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/07/police.beating/#cnnSTCVideo\
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