A half-dozen police officers kicked and beat three men pulled
from a car during a traffic stop as a TV helicopter taped
the confrontation.
The video, shot by WTXF-TV, shows three police cars stopping
a car Monday, two days after a city officer was shot to death
responding to a bank robbery.
The tape shows about a dozen officers gathering around the
vehicle. About a half-dozen officers hold two of the men on
the ground. Both are kicked repeatedly, while one is seen
being punched; one also appears to be struck with a baton.
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The third man is also kicked and ends up on the ground.
"On the surface it certainly does not look good in terms
of the amount of force that was used," Police Commissioner
Charles Ramsey said. "But we don't want to rush to judgment."
The officers were responding to a report of a shooting nearby,
police said. It was not immediately clear what preceded the
confrontation.
Ramsey said Philadelphia officers have been on edge since
Saturday, when Officer Stephen Liczbinski was fatally shot
with an assault rifle after a robbery.
