Philadelphia police officer charged with three counts of simple assault after video purportedly showed him spraying peaceful, kneeling protesters with pepper spray during protests against police brutality.
Richard Paul Nicoletti, 35, is accused of assaulting three protesters with pepper spray during a Black Lives Matter protest in Philadelphia in June.A Philadelphia police officer has been charged with three counts of simple assault after video purportedly showed him spraying peaceful, kneeling protesters with pepper spray duringPhiladelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the charges against Officer Richard Nicoletti, 35, on Wednesday.
The protester, unable to see because of the pepper spray, swung at the officer without contact and was left on his feet in close proximity to moving traffic on the other side of the highway, according to Krasner and online videos. The protesters had caused a traffic stop on 1-676 in Philadelphia around 5 p.m. that day, prompting state and local police to respond.Although the protest was peaceful, Krasner's office said"tear gas was deployed, causing physical harm, panic and confusion."
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw have since publicly apologized for the deployment of tear gas during the protest and declared to end the use of pepper spray to disperse crowds under certain conditions. Richard Paul Nicoletti, 35, is accused of assaulting three protesters with pepper spray during a Black Lives Matter protest in Philadelphia in June."The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office will not make excuses for crimes committed by law enforcement that demean the democratic freedoms so many Americans have fought and died to preserve," Krasner said in a statement.
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