Tag Archives: assault

Temple student assaulted off Main Campus, Police say

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By Marcus McCarthy

Police released a surveillance video of five men they said assaulted a Temple student just off Main Campus on the 1800 block of Berks Street around 11:50 p.m. on May 5.

In the video, the Philadelphia police said that a 20-year-old male who was a student at the university was walking through an alley when he was approached from behind by five unknown males. The student was struck on the back of the head by two of the unknown men then beat up once on the ground, the police said. The men proceeded to take the student’s cellphone.

The student was taken to Temple University Hospital where he was treated for a dislocated right shoulder, scrapes and a bloody nose.

The footage in the video, taken by a security camera on the corner of Berks and 18th streets, shows five men walking south on 18th Street.

Anyone with information are asked to call the Philadelphia police at 215-686-8477.

Marcus McCarthy can be reached at marcus.mccarthy@temple.edu or on Twitter @marcusmccarthy6.

Students react to attack on cop

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A video posted to Philly.com showing a SEPTA police officer being attacked in the Cecil B. Moore subway station while bystanders watched gained heavy criticism from police officers and officials in the city.

The Temple News spoke with several students around campus asking for their reactions to the video and what they would do in such as situation.

“It’s scary to think that most people aren’t willing to step in and help someone even if they see something going wrong,” Erin Cain a freshman biology major said. “Even though it was a person of authority, clearly you know who was in the right, people still didn’t feel the urge to do anything about it.”

Alex Fern, a freshman actuarial science, was surprised by the actions of the suspect and his ability to overtake a police officer.

“Honestly, the end result was a lot more than what he should have done, the fee isn’t worth all that trouble,” Fern said. “I feel a little unsafe that he wasn’t able to defend himself one hundred percent, I understand there would be instances where he can’t defend himself, but it seemed kind of easy almost for the attacker to take him over.”

As for what she would in the situation, Fern admitted that she didn’t know.

“I’d like to think that I would be one of the people that would help, but me having never been put in that situation I wouldn’t know for sure.  Everyone thinks in that situation someone else would step up.”

Allison Macolino, a sophomore tourism and hospitality management major expressed shock in the crowd’s actions.

“I think it’s crazy how now one helped him.  Everyone just stood there and watched,” Mocolino said. “I can see where people don’t want to get involved, but I don’t really understand why they wouldn’t help the cop.  It didn’t even look like anyone went to go get more help, you don’t have to intervene but you couldn’t go get someone else?”

“It makes it that much more real because it’s where I live and I use that Subway station all the time,” she added.

Cop attacked at Cecil B. Moore station while riders watch

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A SEPTA surveillance video posted to Philly.com Monday shows an assault on a SEPTA police officer inside the Cecil B. Moore subway station that occurred on Thursday, Sept. 19, as onlookers watched with no one taking action.

The video, which showed a time stamp of just after 3 p.m., shows a crowd of subway riders entering the train while a cop, identified by Philly.com as Officer Samuel Washington, attempts to stop a man who had allegedly entered the station without paying.

Shortly after the train departs the station, the video shows the man violently struggle with Washington before grabbing hold of the officer and flipping him over, and then under, a bench.

A crowd of onlookers then gathers around the two, with the Washington remaining pinned under the bench for about a minute before he appears to grab hold of his attacker’s face or neck, and pulls himself up to arrest the man.

No one from the crowd gathered to watch the struggle took action to help the officer, and one woman appeared to have stopped a phone call to take a picture or video of the incident.

The video was posted to Philly.com alongside an article by Daily News columnist Helen Ubinas, who refers to the lack of action taken by passersby as the “Philly Shrug.”

TU Advisory issued in near-campus robbery/assault

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Campus Safety Services issued a TU Advisory this evening to warn students that a 19-year-old female non-Temple-student was robbed and assaulted by an unknown male after midnight last night on the 1600 block of Fontain Street. Fontain is located between Diamond and Norris, 16th and 17th streets.

The Advisory reads:

“Police said the 19-year-old female was on the 1600 block of Fontain Street after midnight Wednesday, Oct. 14, when she was approached by a man who said he had a weapon. After forcing her into a vacant lot where the two struggled, the woman fought him off. He got away with a small amount of money. The woman reported being groped, but not otherwise harmed.”

CSS also urged students to utilize the TUrDoor service or OwlLoop shuttle when traveling late at night.