As video goes viral, calm urged in case of Philadelphia cop striking woman

Several groups are calling for patience after hundreds of thousands of people have viewed an online video of a Philadelphia police officer. He appears to hit a woman, knocking her to the ground after Sunday’s Puerto Rican Day Parade.

The video of a Philadelphia Highway Patrol officer striking a woman in the face is subject to internal affairs review.

Quetcy Lozada of the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women says many are calling for Lieutenant Jonathan Josey’s firing. Josey is on desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation.

“It is very upsetting, people are totally in an uproar, and we are trying to keep it together,” said Lozada. “We are trying to tell them to go with the system. We have to believe that the system is going to take its course and the appropriate ruling is going to be issued.”

Whatever the police department’s Internal Affairs ruling may be, Kelvyn Anderson, the interim Executive Director of the Police Advisory Commission says his group will review how the case was handled.

“Our role will be to review their investigation once it’s complete and to assist them if necessary in gathering up any witness statements,” said Anderson.

Anderson says if people who witnessed the incident don’t want to go to police, they can give testimony to the commission who will pass it along to Internal Affairs.