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| 15 Philadelphia Officers Removed After Taped Beating |
| Ramsey on Taped Police Beating: ‘I’m Disappointed’ |
Fifteen Philadelphia police officers have been taken off the street as authorities investigate a video showing the suspects being kicked and beaten by city police.
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Doug Oliver, a spokesman for Mayor Michael Nutter, says the mayor stands behind the police department, but that “at a glance it does appear to be beyond the pale.”
“We are not going to prejudge the situation based on the video,” he said. “We all saw the video, but none of us was there.”
The beating happened two days after the fatal shooting of a Philadelphia policeman, the third city officer slain on duty in two years.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey says he’s disappointed in the actions of the police officers involved in a videotaped beating of three suspects.
Appearing on Good Day Philadelphia, Ramsey watched the tape again and said it speaks for itself.
“When they first got him out of the car [it was being handled well],” said Ramsey. “But once they’re down… that level of force is only necessary to affect an arrest. I’m disappointed in what I’m looking at.”
The commissioner says he spoke with his command staff immediately after seeing the tape on television. He encouraged them to give relief to officers who may be stressed out or tired.
Commissioner Ramsey says the department will look more closely at how long officers work and eliminate 12-hour shifts.
“That’s why we have investigations. We are pulling some people off the street that were involved in that. The stress level is simply too high. The anxiety level is too high. But we have to maintain high standards,” said Ramsey.
Those tensions likely won’t ease until a third man believed involved in the weekend murder of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski is in custody. There’s no question Philadelphia police officers have been working long hours, and have been under a great deal of emotional stress since Liczbinski was gunned down Saturday.
Only Fox 29 cameras caught a violent confrontation Monday night between police and three men who fled a shooting that has triggered a firestorm of controversy. The scene played out in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia shortly after a triple shooting at the intersection of Second and Cayuga.
Video from SkyFox - first seen on MyFoxPhilly.com - showed the police following the car at a high rate of speed. They blocked it in and the car eventually slowed down.
Officers then surrounded the car on foot and a large skirmish broke out, with police breaking out one car window and then struggling with the three suspects violently. The video appears to show the suspects being uncooperative at first, but then lay on the ground.
About a half-dozen officers hold two of the men on the ground. Both are kicked and stomped repeatedly, while one is seen being punched; one also appears to be struck with a baton. The third man is also kicked and ends up on the ground.
“It makes no sense. Nobody deserves to be beaten like that. They’ll throw you in jail for treating a pit bull like that,” said mother Leomia Dyches. Her son, Dwayne, was the man pulled from behind the driver’s seat in the video.
Attorney Scott Perrine has represented Dwayne Dyches for what he called minor drug infractions. Perrine says he saw him last night at Temple University hospital.
“He had a huge lump the forehead, he was semiconscious,” Perrine said.
“There was no interaction, no request for documentation, and they were plucked from the vehicle. At that point, there were 14 cops.”
Shirley Hopkins’ 19 year old son Pete was the man pulled from the passenger side
“I was horrified. It is unbelievable what they would do to our children or young men,” she said. “What we know is what we saw.”
Commissioner Ramsey says the officers from the 25th district narcotics enforcement team had been conducting surveillance on a particular corner because they were worried there might be retaliation from a homicide the night before.
“We do not resort to the kind of behavior that you saw on that tape. We are not going to rush to judgment,” Ramsey said.
As for the three men, they’re still in police custody with aggravated assault charges against them. More charges are possible.
As for the actual shooter he’s still at large. No gun was recovered.
On Tuesday, Fox 29 received a warrant for the videotape of the beating from the Internal Affairs division of the police department, and we complied with that request.
Also on Tuesday night, the defendants appeared before judge to be arraigned.
14 responses so far ↓
1 Anonymous // May 8, 2008 at 10:37 am
thats what they deserve
2 Anonymous // May 8, 2008 at 10:39 am
They shot at people, fled from police, being charged with felonies is what they deserve.
3 Joseph DeLeo // May 8, 2008 at 11:31 am
My father, uncle and brother-in-law are/were all Philadelphia Police Officers. I believe in obeying the law if you work w/ a badge or not.
However, what upsets me the most, is that this police event made national news. The killing of a police officer seems not to have been ‘that big a deal’… how sad and indicative of where our society is.
Again, I don’t support illegal behavior. However, I DO believe the press needs to give the “good guys” the benefit of the doubt rather than feed into the stero-type about ‘bad cops’. The percentage of police and military that do illegal things is almost zero. But you wouldn’t know that by reading the papers or watching TV!
The local and national news media will go to great length to give a criminal the benefit of the doubt… the police… almost never!
I’m 42 years old now and my father has been deceased for about 15 years. I can remember as a child, my Dad telling his kids (there are 7 of us) not to go into police work because it’s a thankless job. I’m not a policeman, but would like to thank all those people of service who do those jobs and protect us each and everyday!
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Joe DeLeo
4 june // May 8, 2008 at 11:39 am
Whatever Happened to Innocent Until Proven Guilty??There were no guns in thier vehicle. Maybe they saw them . Well they need to prove it and charge them in court . Either way this kind of beating is un acceptable. Police are suppose to protect and serve. I see neither in that video. I see a gange of police beating people who are considered innocent. It is not the officers right to judge and convict wether they are innocent or guilty. I see alot of men who are relying on thier position as officers to excuses thier act of terrorism. If they get away with it whos stopping them from using the same force for terrorism of other innocents who are not proven guilty of anything but driving a car. Prove them guilty before you judge them.
5 trish // May 8, 2008 at 1:00 pm
His mother should be kicked in the head, too, for thinking her son didn’t deserve what he got!
6 Jane // May 8, 2008 at 1:22 pm
The reason you still believe all cops are good is because saddly we don’t have enough recordings of how some really behave. Some don’t deserve to get a badge. Some use their badges to intimiate , harass and hurt people. These officers are thugs and should be treated as such. Nothing gives them the right to beat someone. If they cannot handle the stress then get out and hand your badge in. Many in America are greatful for the work of the police. lThe police are elevated as hero all the time, but its time that those that tarnish their fellow officers be helds accountable.
7 White Male // May 8, 2008 at 1:47 pm
The City of Brotherly Love is not what it appears to be. I fear for the lives of my son who attends college in Philly. If that happened to him the police would be looking down the barrel of my deer rifle from about 200 or 300 yards away. I’d be gone before they knew where it came from. Those assholes should be fired, literally with a 150 grain bullet.
8 Dave // May 8, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Mr. White Male
I can understand why you fear for your college-age son in Philly. If I read between the lines of your comment, you are probably a conservative guy who raised his son properly and didn’t “spare the rod and spoilthe child”. That’s a good thing because:
1) Your son would have been observed by the police gunning down somebody on a drug corner.
2) Your son wouldn’t have led police on a high speed chase.
3) Your son wouldn’t have been “uncooperative” when stopped by the police.
If this mother who is so “outraged” had raised her son like you apparently did the situation may have been considerably different. I don’t remember hearing a comment from the father.
Perhaps you should aim your deer rifle at a different group in this case
9 Dave // May 8, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Sorry… “Your son would NOT have been…”
10 kiddo // May 8, 2008 at 2:53 pm
What a moron 15 cops!!! they deserve to be in the prison and see how can they survive with all those thugs and gangs especially blacks..I will be thrilled to hear them getting their asses beat up by prisoners and deserve the penalty. I pity the city of philadelphia and it make sense that 15 cops has no common sense and dont know how to protect and serve. Fack them up for me..even i will do that myself to spit on them, 15 moron cops!!!!! watch out!!!!! hope judge burn ya all 15 cops asses up!
11 kiddo // May 8, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Also, add to this, I agree with the mayor that it is so embrassment to see their cops beat up the suspects and wrongdoing the arrest. If i was there with them, i would have fired them all and lose their jobs and read the dictionary up for protect and serve to be meant for us to be safe than beat up till proven the proof in the court. I am hoping judge fack them 15 cops to be guilty and their children should be more embrassed to look up at their fathers wrongdoing. Dang, what a really morons of 15 cops!!! bring me all 15 cops and i will kick your all asses! try me or try kimbo slice, he will be more pissed than me to kick your cops asses!!!! Wives, oh boy, must be upset and sad - will leave their men to find a better man who have more common sense than them the stupidos cops!!
12 ms outlaw // May 8, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Give me a break, I am a county employee and because I am black and over the weekend was taken a realtive car to be fixed. the cop pulled me over stating my muffler was loud, and trust me its not. then he continued on to ask me my social security number my highest grade level. and i am a law student. he had no probable cause just wanted to be a jerk. i was going five miles under the speed limit. he didnt beat me probably cause i was a female. he was shocked that i was a county employee and could afford to live in his middle class, which i describe as white trash with credit neighborhood. majority of white male young cops are pigs they have stereotypes of all blacks in their mind. therefore when one gets kill i have no remorese. good, its karma, he probably strip some young black youth of their man hood any way.
13 ms outlaw // May 8, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Joseph Deleo
my father is a vet he said the same thing. because they dont care about the black man. we are the target. as a criminology major, law school student society needs a bad guy. You need a GED to be a local police officer. come on you have the ignorant patroling the have nots you dont think their is going to be tension. or the ignorant officers see a sucessful black person and automatically think the worst. I do not have no remorse for no local officer. I witnessed a police officer beat up a 14 year old girl brutally when he could have just took her down and hand cuff her. its like a jungle when you grow up black. everyone is trying to keep you down in order to justify what they do. remember one quote a criminal is a reflection of his government officials. therefore when you see these criminal enterprises they are similar to these gangster CEO’s who rape other countries or the bushes who rape their own people. just think about it. this is bigger than you and the patrol officer. its a class thing. but because the white officers want to seperate their self and feel better they make it a race thing. but at the end of the day we all are the same. but until the officers treat my black people right i will never have respect for them.
14 amery // May 8, 2008 at 3:15 pm
they got what they deserved, only the cops did it and not another bunch of thugs
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