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Cop Who Sucker-Punched Woman Teaches "Violence Prevention" To Teens
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 2, 2012
Modified Oct 2, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 2, 2012
Modified Oct 2, 2012
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There's a lot you probably didn't know about the Philadelphia police officer made infamous by a disturbing viral video showing him sucker-punching a woman at a Puerto Rican day parade over the weekend. For starters, Lt. Jonathan D. Josey II, 40, is more than just a decorated police supervisor who moonlights as an actor—he's also a former Philadelphia Daily News "SEXY SINGLE," whatever that means. And in his spare time, he also runs the Life or Death Initiative, a nonprofit that teaches "violence prevention" to teens and ex-cons. Because the best way to prevent violence is to catch your opponent off-guard and knock them out with overwhelming force.
Josey, a 19-year veteran of the department, has yet to explain why he deemed it necessary to punch his victim, Aida Guzman, in the face. But Deputy Police Commissioner Richard Ross says, "We'd be remiss if we didn't acknowledge that the video is disturbing. We have a video before us that depicts some very disturbing images. Clearly, the one issue at hand is she does appear to be walking away. She does not appear to be facing Lt. Josey at that time." Whoa, do police department spokespersons in other cities actually acknowledge reality?!
Philadelphia Internal Affairs is investigating the incident, and Josey has temporarily been placed on desk duty. As for Guzman, she says that while she was on the ground, the police told her "That's what you get." Judging by the video, it appears that police believed she threw water or another liquid on them. (Her citation for Disorderly Conduct notes that she allegedly threw a beer at officers.)
In an interview with the Daily News, Guzman "gingerly ran her fingers over her swollen, cut lip" and told the paper, "I didn't do it. He has no right to put his hands on me. I'm 39, I don't play games like that." Which is perfect, because guess whose "Sexy Singles" profile revealed that he's "tired of meeting women who act like girls"?
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cops
philadephia
police brutality
sucker punch
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.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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