fbpx
Criminal Law

Former Philadelphia Officer Acquitted of Assault in 2020 Encounter With Racial Injustice Protester

A former Philadelphia police inspector has been acquitted of assault in the use of a baton during an encounter with a protester in a 2020 racial injustice demonstration.

Jurors acquitted 57-year-old Joseph Bologna on Wednesday of charges of simple assault and possessing an instrument of crime in the incident recorded on video during June 2020 protests on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway following the death of George Floyd, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Defense attorney Fortunato Perri Jr. told jurors during closing arguments that his client’s life over the past 3 1/2 years since his arrest had been a “nightmare.” He cited the city police code section saying use of force is justified when a person resists arrest or appears to threaten bodily harm. He also said Bologna’s choice to strike as the then-21-year-old Temple University student tried to intervene in another arrest was a “quick decision” in a “rapidly evolving” situation.

Read the source article at AP News

Back to top button