Philadelphia Police Commander Danielle Outlaw has announced that the city will open an investigation regarding an encounter between a Black mother and local officers.
Initial reports suggest that a Black mother named Rickia Young was driving her car with a toddler in her back seat when demonstrators protesting the death of Walter Wallace Jr. neared. Video of the incident appears to show officers breaking her window and pulling her out of the car. Cops are accused of beating Young as they pulled her child away.
“As soon as it was brought to my attention, an Internal Affairs investigation had been initiated. Since that time, we’ve identified the officer responsible or the one that we see using the strikes against the car. That officer has since been placed on restrictive duty pending the outcome of the investigation,” Outlaw said.
Making matters worse, the National Fraternal Order of Police posted a picture of a police officer with a child who is believed to be Young’s son. The National FOP’s photo caption indicated that the young boy was found wandering and brought to safety. However, many others have refuted that story.
Young said that she was watching the Walter Wallace Jr. protests unfold in West Philadelphia when she decided to pick up her 16-year-old nephew from the area. Instead of leaving her 2-year-old son at home alone, she took him with her. After picking up her nephew, Young neared protests at approximately 1:45 a.m. Nearby police officers told her to turn around and when she did officers swarmed around her car.
After the incident, Young was taken into custody before she was released. She was later treated for her injuries at a nearby hospital. At this time, she asked her mother to help find her 2-year-old son. The child’s grandmother found the child in the backseat of a police vehicle with a welt on his hand and glass in his car seat.
Young says that authorities have not told her where to find her vehicle or where she can recover her wallet and her son’s hearing aids.
