Man dies after struggle with SEPTA cop

Philly.com – by DAVID GAMBACORTA

QUESTIONS over the death of a man who was tased early yesterday by a transit cop prompted SEPTA officials to release video footage and police radio calls that were connected to the incident.

Those pieces of evidence did not add up to a full explanation of how the man died. But they were released all the same in a bid to be as transparent about the case as possible, SEPTA Police Chief Tom Nestel said during a news conference at the agency’s Center City headquarters.  

“It is our intent to be as clear as possible with the information we have at this point,” Nestel said. “This is preliminary information. I have to emphasize that.

“The goal is to provide you and the public with information to give you a basis of what we’re dealing with from the very beginning.”

This much is clear: A SEPTA transit police officer arrived at Kensington’s Huntingdon Station shortly before 2 a.m. as part of his early-morning routine of closing subway and Market-Frankford El stations.

Video footage showed the officer escorting a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt from the station without incident. Once outside, Nestel said, the man got into an argument with a passer-by.

The officer tried to intervene. He called for backup at 1:56 a.m. Footage from outside the station showed the officer struggling on the ground with the man.

Nestel noted there was a significant size difference between the two; the cop was 5-6, 155 pounds, while the man was about 5-10 and 185 pounds.

The cop, whose name was not released, was heard calling for backup repeatedly over his radio. Dispatchers asked him for his location, but he initially didn’t respond.

Additional SEPTA cops showed up at the scene once they figured out where he was – eight minutes after the struggle began. Nestel said the cop, a five-year veteran of the force, used a “dry stun” to subdue the man. That meant the officer pressed the Taser directly against a muscle group and sent a brief electrical shock that temporarily disabled him.

SEPTA cops loaded the man into the back of a police cruiser and transported him to Aria Hospital’s Frankford hospital at 2:16 a.m. He was alive when they left the scene.

When the cops arrived at the hospital about three minutes later, he was no longer responsive, Nestel said. The man, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead at 2:54 a.m. The cause of death had not been determined as of last night.

The Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit is investigating the incident. It will be up to the District Attorney’s Office to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

Nestel said he will release the cop’s name once SEPTA finishes an internal investigation. The officer has not been linked to any prior complaints for excessive force.

“We are very lucky, because we rarely have situations where we have to use deadly force,” he said. “We have provided officers with less-lethal tools to use in situations such as this.”

Nestel said SEPTA cops have deployed their Tasers 55 times so far this year.

On Twitter: @dgambacorta
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