PA police inspector charged after striking college-aged protestor with metal baton

A Philadelphia police inspector is facing assault charges after video surfaced showing him striking a protester with a metal baton. 

Staff Inspector Joseph Bologna faces charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Friday.

In a video obtained by prosecutors, Bologna is seen striking a Temple University student in the back of his head while he was protesting peacefully on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia on Monday. 

The student was participating in a demonstration protesting the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. 

Prosecutors say the student suffered “serious bodily injury, including a large head wound that required treatment in a hospital while under arrest, including approximately 10 staples and approximately 10 sutures.”

The student was arrested and detained for a day until Krasner decided to charge the police instead. 

“We are trying to be fair. Accountability has to be equal,” Krasner said in a statement. “This moment demands a swift and evenhanded response to violent and criminal acts based on the facts and evidence.”

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement that an internal affairs investigation on Bologna’s behavior has already been initiated.

“As a Department, we do not condone the criminal acts of any person, and it is my sincere hope that the District Attorney does, in fact, hold all people who cause harm to others equally accountable,” Outlaw said.