Philadelphia cop seen on video using baton against man who slapped him

NBC Philadelphia

A video uploaded to YouTube shows a Philadelphia police officer beating John Scrivano, 43, after Scrivano slapped the officer first.

A video has been posted to YouTube of a Philadelphia police officer who appears to be beating a citizen with his baton, less than three weeks after a fellow officer made headlines after a video of him hitting a woman at a public event was also put online.

This time, though, the YouTube video shows the citizen, identified as 43-year-old John Scrivano, slapping the officer first.

The video was on posted on YouTube on Sunday, Oct. 14. It apparently occurred during Oktoberfest on South Street in Philadelphia on Sept. 29.


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Lt. Raymond Evers defended the officer seen in the video to Philly.com, saying "The guy [Scrivano] was highly intoxicated. What do you want?" Evers billed it as "old news" to Philly.com and is not releasing the officer's name.

Internal Affairs investigated the level of force used by the officer, Evers told NBC10. But the officer was not put on desk duty or reprimanded for his actions.

Scrivano's girlfriend told NBC10 he was unconscious when paramedics arrived.

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In the earlier incident this month, Lt. Jonathan Josey was caught on tape hitting a woman, and was suspended for 30 days. The department intends to fire him, according to Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. 

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter publicly apologized to the victim, Aida Guzman, in the Lt. Josey case, saying he was appalled, angry and ashamed. He said Josey violated his role as a public servant.

"We're here to serve the people who hire us. We're not over them or above them," Nutter said. "We're here with them."

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Discuss this post

Comment author avatarJohn Missy Kiddvia Facebook

good one nbc state you have a video but only put up a photo......lazy and lame so is your warning about no shouting on the web........just because letters are capitalized does not mean you are shouting............you are just like a mormon mother

  • 4 votes
Reply#1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:59 PM EDT

Either the guy is suicidal or just wants 3 hots and a cot for some time. If anyone has a medical issue and no way to pay for it. Go punch a cop. You probably will get your a$$ kicked but jails and prisons absolutely have to treat you or you could have a major lawsuit against them for negligence and or torture for non-treatment.

  • 3 votes
#1.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:58 PM EDT

good for the cops! any jerkoff who slaps me i would take a bat to him. when i was a kid you even talked back to a cop you got cuffed across the head. then you got your azz beat if your parents found out. problem with all the crime today nobody respects the boys in blue. then the pc groups handcuff them so they cant do their job. need more sheriff joes someone with some balls!

  • 6 votes
#1.2 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:21 PM EDT

Anyone who thinks someone in jail gets hot meals and medical treatment has never known anyone in jail. You are lucky to get any food. To get medical treatment, someone has to pay for it, for you.Most jails you are in, are on lock-down, twenty plus hours a day. You have to pay for most of your clothes. In most jails there is no education or programs of any kind. You people who love the cops, and the court system really should check what is going on in these jails and prisons. Or maybe spend a few months, or years in one of them, after being falselu accused of something

    #1.3 - Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:33 PM EDT
    Reply
    Comment author avatarwarrrenExpand Comment Comment collapsed by the community

    This video made me sick to my stomach. Cops (pigs) think that they have the right to KILL anyone that touches them. It is a symptom of the Police departments and the sick bastards that train and write police procedures. This Cop was OUT OF CONTROL and much worse than the event could have ever been. Saddest part of all is that he will not receive any punishment or will it make any difference that a citizen was Brutally attacked with intent to kill. Disgusted with the whole out of control system.

    • 6 votes
    Reply#2 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:10 PM EDT

    You have never seen anyone who has been attacked with intent to kill. And this video didn't show it.

    Now, give me your address so I can get drunk and slap you across the face. We'll see how you react to it.mAnd, in every jurisdiction in the country, it is illegal to place your hands on a police officer durring the line of duty.

    Out of control would have been if he walked up to a random person and beat him for no reason. This officer was physically assaulted, and yet you want him to not react at all. I hope every police officer remembers when you're being assaulted that you don't think it's ok to retaliate, and they let you get you behind handed to you.

    • 11 votes
    #2.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:50 PM EDT

    "INTENT to Kill"? You must be famous with that gift of mind reading. "Whole out of control system"? I presume that includes the drunken bums on the city streets. It's people like YOU that make ME sick.

    • 6 votes
    #2.2 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:54 PM EDT

    FTP - they are turning into the gestapo. Internal affairs needs to calibrate all the departments and courts across the US.

    • 3 votes
    #2.3 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:08 PM EDT

    "illegal to place your hands on a police officer during the line of duty"

    Correct there is a punishment for it but not being beat unconscious. It's easy for people to say "he deserved to be beat down" since it's no skin off your ass but let it happen to you and you will be lawyer up in a heart beat. You and I may well have reacted like the cop but He should be trained to do better than us.

    So what is the police procedure say about how many time you beat a citizen on the ground in the face and head before declaring yourself safe? 100 200 possibly the use of a tazer as well. Usually it takes 6 big cops to properly kick and stomp a criminal before they all get winded enough to stop.

    • 6 votes
    #2.4 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:27 PM EDT

    Warren.... most of us aren't stupid enough, drunk or sober, to hit a cop. The guy got what he deserved.

    • 5 votes
    #2.5 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:44 PM EDT

    Cop might of used excessive force..... but... you don't put your hands on a cop unless you are ready to get your ass handed to you because he is well within his right to do so after you hit him. Some of these cops will try to provoke you into doing something wrong just so they can arrest, use common since and self control.

    • 2 votes
    #2.6 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:04 PM EDT

    Obviously this cop is unhinged and a risk to the public. With his level of rage I am suprised he did not unload his pistol into this man after beating him unconcious. Hewer they have that can of pepper spray as well as a taser. Even the use of those would have been overboard in this situation but certainly better than the excessive and possibly permanent harm used. To me it just again shows how pathetic wimps all US Cops are. I have seen so many videos that show cops throwing disabled people from their wheel chairs after they don't stand up. Or the one armed, one legged man in Houston recently residing in a care home shot to death by a cop feeling this man in his wheel chair had him cornered and had a ball point pen in his hand that he considered an even added threat. I do respect police, but there are no police in the US, we have cops. In Europe and the rest of the world police are brave enough to be among the public unarmed. Yes they have weapons available should they be responding to a call where a person is armed. But here in the US we have a war escul;ating between criminals and cops on fire power. It is a matter of time before the cops lose this battle as those with guns shoot them dead from ambush where they will never have the chance to respond. With rare exceptions, were police not armed, neither would be the other criminals (yes, cops in the US are criminals. Mose to that sometime, but every one of them convicted in absenteum) In the UK an agreement has existed between police and criminals not to use guns. And that has resulted in far fewer deaths to police, criminals as well as the general public as they do not face guns during things such as robberies. I will add that every criminal that has ever harmed me had a gun........ and a badge. When I was 14, Officer Friendly got far too friendly with me. Rot in hell you filthy Pig for what you did to me.

    • 3 votes
    #2.7 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:16 PM EDT

    Jennifer, maybe you should sit down and breathe into a paper bag or something, so you don't tip over.

    • 4 votes
    #2.8 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:20 PM EDT

    I was at the Brahaus Schimtz Oktoberfest on South Street and watched this entire fight from a few feet away. This guy totally had it coming and was completely out of control well before the video was rolling. After he was brought to the ground, he almost overtook the police officer attempting to arrest him. It was more than a slap as well, the guy also hit the cop on the top of his head at some point. The cop had a massive lump on the top of his head after the fight. Thanks for the 500+ lb security guard, this lunatic was down for the count. Ten minutes later he was surrounded by about two dozen cops and continued to lay on the ground bleeding everywhere. It all started with an argument with his crazy girlfriend that got out of control and then escalated to him hitting the cop. Great festival turned violent because one a-hole has too much to drink and too much to prove.

    video link, just remove spaces

    http:// www.youtube.com/ watch ?v=f6cEimuljhI

    • 1 vote
    #2.9 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:04 PM EDT
    Reply

    Play stupid games, win stupid prizes...

    • 16 votes
    Reply#3 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:26 PM EDT

    That is the funniest and most appropriate comment on this thread.

    • 3 votes
    #3.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:33 PM EDT

    yes lets play "I'll give a bitch slap for a beat down".

      #3.2 - Wed Oct 17, 2012 1:00 PM EDT
      Reply

      Not the biggest fan of many cops but his action is justified and this drunk got what he deserved. My reaction would've been the same because you don't know what this moron, in his state, is capable of. You don't know if the guy has a weapon and if you wait to find out it's too late. Bottom line, don't strike a cop!

      • 8 votes
      Reply#4 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:35 PM EDT

      good for this cop, this guy was a drunken @!$%# who desrerved what he got. i am from phila and sj and i can teel you these cops put thier lives on the line whenwevr they walk out thier door. so throw this ass of a drunk in jail and let him remember next time he wants to slap a cop and spit and start fights with people at a block party! oh and johnny miss kid, if your so computer savvy as you are with your degrading and stupid remarks , you would know to hit the highlighted youtube link to watch the video. so before you spout off your accusations and political blames, learn to be somewhat of a person with some type of intelligience. also when you do type in caps it is computer and texting knowledge of showing that , yes , you are shouting............go back to school, or crawl back under you bridge!

      • 5 votes
      Reply#5 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:39 PM EDT

      If you show police respect, they will show you respect. Treat them like dirt and guess what? They treat you the same way.

      people don't realize what a thankless job police work is. They look at them with tunnel vision. When someone on the roads is driving like a mad man, they complain about the lack of police. And when they are pulled over for going 75 in a 60 zone, they complain because they were pulled over.

      In this situation, the man was severely intoxicated. That made him highly unpredictable. Some drunks are happy and wouldn't hurt a fly. Sometimes the nicest people you know when sober turn mean. To top it off, he physically assaulted the officer. Just a slap you say? A slap can also be child abuse, domestic violence or assault.

      People blame "the pigs" for acting like bullies. Well, walk a beat in their shoes. They have a job where the majority of the public treats them like crap for just doing their jobs.

      • 8 votes
      Reply#6 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:46 PM EDT

      Thanks Ottermann, my brother in law was a cop and you hit it right on. Also, thanks to all of you who stated the same. There are some bad cops out there, just like with every walk of life. However, there are a whole lot more good cops. The media just likes to focus on the bad. I wish people would open their eyes and see that some source of orderliness is needed... we could be like the Mideast. I believe this cop stood his ground and was ensuring his safety and those around him.

      • 3 votes
      #6.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:37 PM EDT

      I agree 100%. The majority of people who dump on cops would never step up and take a thankless job which requires responsibility, leadership and making tough decisions. For every idiot slapping a cop, there are just a many who get in cops' faces and videotape them in the hopes that they can catch them saying the wrong thing. So many people want to provoke cops as well. It's mindboggling that we now have two generations of Americans who never deal with the Police (except when they need them) but are so convinced that the Police are agents of an oppressive state. We complain about lawlessness, gangs, anti-social behavior, rising crime rate, thefts, and vandalism; yet, we go out of our way to demonize the very people who have volunteered to deal with this. When a cop is answering a burglary call, people want to bake him cookies for making them feel safe; but when the same cop writes them a traffic ticket, they want his badge number so they can try to get him fired.

        #6.2 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:45 PM EDT
        Reply

        The intoxicated gentleman was assisted to the ground with immediate effect for his own safety. Who knows what harm he would have gotten into had he gone and assaulted an innocent bystander. The peace officer showed amazing restraint while assisting this belligerent to the ground with his collapsible baton.

        Additionally, the belligerent's girlfriend should be arrested as well for interfering with a law enforcement official's dutys of placing the beligerent under arrest.

        So which is better? A couple of whacks by a baton or the taser? Either way, it would have been videoed and taken out of context by MSNBC.com and made this peace officer look like he is the bad guy...

        I salute this officer for removing a threat off the streets during a festive occasion. If you cannot hold your liquor and you want to play the clown, don't be surprised when the police officer comes to pay attention to you and apply some 'makeup'...

        • 4 votes
        Reply#7 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:55 PM EDT

        This guy got exactly what he deserved. He was clearly out of control and attacked the cop. The guy is lucky the cop didn't do far worse to him. If you attack a cop, there will be a swift and resolute response. Period. If you think you're being treated unfairly, let them take you peacefully and then you'll have a chance to explain. If you choose to take them on, then you can't be surprised by the end result.

        There is no similarity at all between this incident and the earlier one where the cop blindly attacked the woman from behind whom wasn't even the one whom had thrown the liquid at them that set the cop off. That was pure police brutality. The woman was no threat to the cop in that situation.

        • 3 votes
        Reply#8 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:11 PM EDT

        The three big security guys certainly were not a lot of help in controlling the drunk.

        • 1 vote
        Reply#9 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:20 PM EDT

        I think they were pretty much making sure that they had the officer's back, so that he didn't get dog-piled when the fight went to the ground...as they always do.

        • 1 vote
        #9.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:09 PM EDT
        Reply

        why in the hell did this idiot slap a cop? What was he thinking? Obviously, he wasn't thinking, he must have been drunk stupid asz got what he deserved IMHO;. I've gotten drunk, maybe even belligerent, but would never dare hit a police officer, that's looking for trouble, like sticking your hands inside a lions cage and expecting nothing will come of it.

        • 4 votes
        Reply#10 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:24 PM EDT

        He didn't lose any limbs.

        It's more like peeing on an electric fence.

        • 1 vote
        #10.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:31 PM EDT
        Reply

        Strike a cop , you deserve the ass whooping you are about to receive.

        • 5 votes
        Reply#11 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:28 PM EDT

        Im not a fan how most police departments work.. they say to protect and serve. most of the time i see that you must prove your innocent. they are only human after all...

        but in this case the man who slapped the cop had it comming.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#12 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:31 PM EDT

        Slap a cop, get your ass beat. Where's the confusion in this??

        • 4 votes
        Reply#13 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:52 PM EDT

        Yup. Cause and Effect. Pretty basic stuff, really.

        • 2 votes
        #13.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:30 PM EDT
        Reply

        Well maybe the officer made a remark about the guys mother or something. He sure was in his face. It appears an arrest was inevitable though. The guy was drunk at a drunk festivel. Go figure.

        • 1 vote
        Reply#14 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:04 PM EDT

        I regularly attend brewing festivals.

        Attendance at a function where alcohol is served, is not a license to be an idiot.

        Actions still have consequences.

        • 2 votes
        #14.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:29 PM EDT
        Reply

        This is why cops like this guy join the police force in the first place. Did you see how he kept egging this guy on and pushing and shoving him an backing him and generally doing everything he could to get some kind of a physical response just so he could eagerly jump all over and beat the crap out the poor bastard. Unless you're totally stupid what you're watching is a sadistic cop thoroughly enjoying himself. Like I said. It's why sadists like him join the force. The only thing better for them is when they get to shoot someone.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#15 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:05 PM EDT

        Got caught speeding, eh?

        • 3 votes
        #15.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:10 PM EDT
        Reply

        Who, in their WILDEST hallucinations, would think that the police are there to engage people in some kind of "fair fight"? The police are not there to participate in a physical contest- they are there to do a job. That's why they are completely justified in utilizing MORE force (or more accurately, a higher level of force) than is being used against them.

        The first rule of law enforcement is to go home at the end of your shift. Anyone who poses a threat to him obeying the first rule, is probably going to get something less than the benefit of the doubt.

        • 3 votes
        Reply#16 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:14 PM EDT

        Chris Rock's "How Not To Get Your Ass Kicked By The Police" should be required viewing.

        • 3 votes
        Reply#17 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:15 PM EDT

        The officer showed tremendous restraint. He was completely justified in going hands-on MUCH earlier, and was under no obligation to allow the situation to run to the point that he got hit in the head. I was impressed by the kind of human compassion demonstrated by this officer. He gave that $hit-bird EVERY chance to do the right thing, but to plagiaraize Bill Cosby, he just wasn't satisfied until he got his beating.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#18 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:17 PM EDT

        Cops are thugs, hired by the 1 percent to protect them and their money and to keep the rest of us in fear and put us in chains.

          Reply#19 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:03 PM EDT

          Time to up your Xanax.

          • 1 vote
          #19.1 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:04 PM EDT
          Reply

          Drunk idiot. I have no problem with this.

          • 1 vote
          Reply#20 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:13 PM EDT

          I'm sure this was quite a "learning experience" for the drunk.

          • 1 vote
          Reply#21 - Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:29 PM EDT

          When I drink to much I don't get the beatdown by cops. because .... I DON'T SLAP COPS!. I don't see a problem here. If He slapped that big guy in the Vid he might of gotten his head crushed.

            Reply#22 - Thu Oct 18, 2012 7:49 PM EDT

            i don't see a problem with what the cop did. slap a cop, get the @!$%# knocked out of you. The mayor is a big snatch for apologizing.

              Reply#23 - Fri Oct 19, 2012 12:49 PM EDT

              As Eddie Murphy would say "May i suggest the night stick officer!" next

                Reply#24 - Fri Oct 19, 2012 3:19 PM EDT
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