Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
[UPDATE] Video: Cop Sucker Punches Woman At Philadelphia Puerto Rican Day Parade
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 1, 2012
Modified Oct 1, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 1, 2012
Modified Oct 1, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
[UPDATE BELOW] This summer's Puerto Rican Day parade in NYC passed without much incident, but down in Philadelphia, which held its own parade this weekend, an alleged incident of police brutality was caught on camera. A video uploaded to YouTube yesterday documents a disturbing altercation between a cop and a woman attending the parade. In the short video, a white shirt officer is seen walking up to a woman and punching her in the face without warning, knocking her to the street:
At the very start of the video, it appears that the woman is squirting or spraying something on the officers, but a few seconds later more liquid is seen flying at them from a man behind her. (Reddit has a couple of good gifs that attempt to unpack this.) But what seems abundantly clear from the video is that an officer sucker-punched the woman in the face, then arrested her.
We asked the Philadelphia police department what the woman was charged with, and whether the department believes this to be an appropriate use of force, and we'll update if we hear back.
Update 1:29 p.m.: Philadelphia Police tell NBC10 "the woman was cited for spraying silly string at officers who were conducting a vehicle stop at North 5th Street and Lehigh Avenue." Internal Affairs is investigating the incident.
Tagged
brotherly love
philadelphia
police brutality
puerto rican day parade
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
Neighbors had complained of traffic and loud concerts for years.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:49 p.m. ET
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Charles Lane
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
By
Samantha Max
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .