PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia judge declared a mistrial Monday in the case of former city SWAT Officer Richard P. Nicoletti, who is facing criminal charges for pepper-spraying three demonstrators who sat in the middle of I-676 during the city’s racial justice protests in 2020. After deliberating for more than two
Richard P. Nicoletti was captured on video pepper-spraying demonstrators who had descended onto the highway during the racial justice protests in 2020.
Charges against a Philadelphia police officer, who was arrested for beating a Temple University student with a baton at a George Floyd protest over the summer, have been dismissed.
The analysis first revealed that the City and PPD were simply not prepared to address unanticipated mass protests coupled with civil unrest occurring in multiple locations throughout the city, the report stated, adding there was no specific plan or playbook to handle such a scenario, particularly in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Large demonstrations and marches in West Philadelphia, on Interstate 676 and on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway were met by police, in several instances, with the use of less than lethal munitions such as tear gas, pepper spray and batons. Hundreds of protesters were arrested in the span of several days in late May and early June.