DAILY NEWS: The Peterson home is an inviting place. A Winnie the Pooh flag that reads “Welcome” is posted above the front door. The once- trash-strewn, abandoned lot next to their home has been turned into a garden with rows of flowers and vegetables. The fenced-in grassy lot, with its swing set and miniature basketball hoop, has always been a place for neighborhood kids to play. It seemed the perfect spot for a baby shower — or so the Petersons thought.
Lorna Peterson’s daughter Lacrecia Tindley, 30, who is nine months pregnant, was just about to open her gifts
when Schaffling allegedly ran into the yard, grabbed Tindley’s brother, Jamar Stroman, 24, pressed a baton across his neck and dragged him out of the yard. Relatives said they had followed Schaffling to ask why Stroman was being arrested.Witnesses said Schaffling then took out his gun and screamed obscenities as he told everyone to get back. He called for back-up officers and placed Stroman in a squad car. Then Schaffling took out a metal baton and began to swing it into the crowd, striking several people, witnesses said.
Tindley’s older sister, Monique Tindley, 32, told the Daily News that she had been struck with the baton while trying to enter her house. Yesterday, she displayed baseball-sized bruises on her arms.An officer in another squad car pulled up and bumped Dionne Whitaker, who was holding Adima in her arms, with his car while she was crossing the street, witnesses said. When that officer got out of the car, Whitaker complained to him that he had struck her leg with the squad car. The officer then said, “F— you!” and sprayed her with mace, she said. Whitaker said that she fell to the ground and that her daughter smacked her head on the pavement.
Witnesses said Andre Williams and his 4-year-old son, Ahssan, were walking down the street while the incident was unfolding. Trying to protect his son, Williams chided Schaffling, telling him to be careful of his son while wielding his baton, witnesses said. Schaffling and other officers allegedly beat Williams, who fell to the ground on top of his son, who was buried under his father and several officers, witnesses said.His father was arrested by Officer Devlin and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest and hindering apprehension. MORE
RELATED: Two officers on the scene – Thomas Schaffling and Sean Bascom — were linked to the May 5 police beating of three shooting suspects. That incident was captured by a Fox 29 news helicopter and broadcast around the world.
RELATED: The Beatdown
MEANWHILE: A 23-year-old college student from out of state was robbed and raped in Northern Liberties Monday night, police said.
PREVIOUSLY:LOWLIGHTS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT: New Police Chief Had Car Stolen; Ordered Mass Arrests At Bush 2001 Innauguration; Hogtied Detainees — Including Reporters & Tourists– For 36 Hours During IMF In 2002
PREVIOUSLY: Anonymous Tipster Brings FBI Into Puerto Rican Party Beatdown Investigation The FBI’s Civil Rights Office is looking into the alleged beating of at least 20 people inside a Puerto Rican social club last month by Philadelphia police officers responding to a disturbance call, officials indicated yesterday. Local authorities opened an internal investigation last week into the incident at the Aces Borincaños Dance Club in Kensington, but Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said yesterday that the FBI was also on the case. “We’re still at it,” said Ramsey. “I know the FBI has come in, and they’re going to look over it as well. We got it out there because it’s a very serious case with very serious allegations. We’re going to try to get it done as fast as we can to let the public know what’s going on.” Ramsey, who called the case “troubling,” said that he did not ask the FBI to intervene, but that he welcomed the help in the department’s first major internal investigation of alleged officer misconduct on his watch. He said the FBI apparently was alerted with a phone call. The Jan. 26 incident began when a fight broke out about 11:30 p.m. inside the club at 2120 N. Front St., where a girl’s 15th birthday was being celebrated by her family. According to police, the scuffle spilled outside, and police were flagged down. Officers called for backup when they could not control the crowd. Police attempted to get the crowd back into the club, and it was inside that the alleged assaults with police batons occurred. At least 50 officers may have been at the scene, authorities said. A set of photographs corroborated the injuries, and cell phone video may exist, police said. [via INQUIRER]