2 Arrests Made In Videotaped Beating Of Philadelphia Park Ranger
By Jim Melwert, Syma Chowdhry and Elizabeth Hur
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia police charge two teens in the viral video beating of a park ranger in Love Park.
Sources have identified the 19-year-old suspect as Curtis Tanner. The second suspect, sources say, is a 17-year-old whose name is being withheld because he is a juvenile.
Police arrested Tanner at his home in Pottstown Monday morning.
The attack, which happened Friday, was caught on video.
Police say the incident began when a Philadelphia park ranger told a group of skateboarders that they were not permitted to skate in the park. One of the teens refused to leave, and the video shows him taunting the ranger, wrestling him to the ground, spitting on him, and then stomping on his head. Two other skaters who were with the attacker are seen in the video taunting the ranger — and one of them videotapes the beating.
Eyewitness News talked with the man who recorded the attack.
"I'm just like 'this is ridiculous' I didn't even think it was going to go to the level that it did."
"The only thing going through my mind was 'is this really happening?' The one kid who did the attack was saying something like 'I've been waiting for this moment' or something, so I don't know if something happened prior."
The video ends with men skateboarding away from the scene, after hurling some racial slurs at the ranger.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey says this guy stomping on the head of a defenseless man is another example of the street thugs cops have to deal with on a regular basis.
"They don't care and if a cop takes this guy into custody and scratches him once, then it's police brutality," Ramsey said. "Look at what we're up against. These are the very people that we have to go out and deal with on a daily basis. They just simply do not care."
The ranger told Eyewitness News, he is okay, recovering at home and looking forward to returning to work.
Ramsey called the attack "disgusting" on part of the attacker and the others who stood by, watching and videotaping the incident.
"Had the situation been reversed, and if it were them," said the commissioner, "I think they would hope that somebody would come to their assistance."
Both suspects have been charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and making terroristic threats.
Late Monday, police say they still want to hear from anyone with information about the third individual seen in the video recording the incident himself.
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