Iran Press/ America: The looting started on Tuesday and continued until Wednesday after protests erupted in the city over a judge’s dismissal of charges against a police officer in the shooting death of Eddie Irizarry, but Stanford said that the thefts were not connected to the protest and that the looters were not protesters.
A judge on Tuesday dismissed all charges, including murder, against the Philadelphia police officer who had been accused of wrongfully killing a motorist last month.
Mark Dial pulled over Eddie Irizarry, 27, on Aug. 14 before he shot him through the rolled-up driver's side window, body camera video has shown.
The video was played in court Tuesday, but Philadelphia Municipal Judge Wendy Pew ruled there was not enough evidence to go to trial, bringing an emotional reaction from Irizarry's loved ones in court.
Dial had been charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, official oppression, and four other counts before Pew dismissed all counts.
Stores in Philadelphia’s Center City area and in other parts of the city were looted Tuesday after a crowd of young people broke into stores, police said.
By Wednesday there had been 52 arrests, Stanford said, almost all of whom were adults. Two guns were recovered, and the arrests included three juveniles, he said.
Video recorded at the scene and shown by NBC Philadelphia showed people in hooded sweatshirts running in and out of an Apple store with what appeared to be merchandise. A nearby Foot Locker was also ransacked, the station reported.
As police added more patrols, businesses across the city closed early. An Aldi in the city's Olney neighborhood had security at its boarded-up property.
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