The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) are very unhappy assault charges were dropped against the Buffalo Bills’ LeSean McCoy after he engaged in a brawl with several police officers in a Philly bar in February.
On Monday Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams announced he felt there was “insufficient evidence” to charge either McCoy or the off duty officers involved in the fight in a Philly nightclub on February 7.
Williams said he was not able to determine who started the fight and that whoever was attacked first had a legal right to defend themselves.
The fight started over a bottle of champagne ordered by two off duty police officers that a member of the player’s party claimed was his own. It ended with one officer in the hospital with broken ribs and a broken nose.
McCoy met with the DA on February 23 and insisted he did nothing wrong.
After the decision to drop the charges was made public, the city’s FOP released a statement decrying the move.
“Apparently, assaults recorded on video are prosecuted everywhere except in Philadelphia, particularly when the victims are police officers,” FOP president John J. McNesby wrote in a public letter on Monday.
The FOP rep added that video of assaults elsewhere have led to arrests. He used as examples the video of Trump campaign chief Corey Lewandowski as well as an assault filmed in New Jersey, both of which were used to make arrests elsewhere.
McNesby went on to warn fellow officers that when the “carnival surrounding the National Democratic Convention” pulls into Philly this summer they may want to think twice about getting too involved with stopping any illegal protesting because, “you will NOT be supported by the District Attorney if you are assaulted or injured.”
“Why weren’t any Civilian Review Boards looking into this outrage,” McNesby wondered. “For the police in Philadelphia, justice delayed is justice denied,” he concluded.
Philly FOP not happy about Philly DA’s office not filing charges in LeSean McCoy incident: pic.twitter.com/JrcnKMzktV
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) April 4, 2016
McCoy ran for 895 yards and accumulated 292 through the air this past season for the Buffalo Bills after playing six seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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