Councilwoman Wants Quick Investigation of Police Incident

Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez says she is outraged in the wake of a video taped punch out of a female reveler at Sunday's Puerto Rican Day celebration.

The council woman says the actions of Lt. Jonathan Josey were flat out wrong.

"It is a commanding officer who has been trained to maintain calm, lost his cool and that is  not acceptable," she said. 

Sanchez was the Grand Marshal of the Puerto Rican Day parade just hours before the incident.

She wants the police department to conduct a thorough investigation of the 19-year police veteran's actions. She also wants the disorderly persons charge dropped against the victim, Aida Guzman.

"Nothing in the video shows me this was provoked or a warranted response," the councilwoman said.

Cell phone cameras were rolling as Guzman was punched in the face by Josey in front of at least a dozen officers. She was knocked to the ground, handcuffed and hauled away bleeding from her face. She now has a lawyer and is demanding justice.

"She's mad at the police of Philadelphia," Guzman said through an interpreter.

"I'd like this investigation to be quick so that we can bring closure to this and make sure Ms. Guzman gets justice.

Quinones-Sanchez wants a decision on Josey's fate by the end of the week. She is concerned a prolonged investigation could stir tensions here.

"If the investigation generates something other than what the community feels is fair we are going to have a backlash," she said.

Josey is out of town and not commenting at this point.

He has 13 civilian complaints in his file over his 19-year career. Only one has been sustained. He was found to have conducted an illegal stop and search of a Woodbridge, New Jersey man on Broad Street. The city paid that man $5,000.

Josey is on administrative duty until an Internal Affairs investigation is completed.