Badge Patrol

Philadephia Daily News: Store video catches cop bullying woman


Lawless was standing at the counter of the store, at Comly Road and Roosevelt Boulevard, smiling and chatting with the clerk, when she was grabbed from behind and violently pushed back with a police officer's gun in her face.

The officer's son had hit her car, so he called dad claiming she hit him. So the officer went to the convience store and assaulted this woman. Not only that, he brought along a civilian witness, his son, who participated in the assault and was himself armed.

The clerk on duty the night that Lopez confronted Lawless told investigators that three times after the incident, police officers spoke with him about the security tape and that two asked if he would erase it.

An Internal Affairs investigation found no misconduct among officers who spoke with the clerk about the tape.

On top of everything else, he and his buddies try to tamper with evidence, and the police department does nothing.

The District Attorney's Office reviewed the case and declined to prosecute Officer Lopez in December. Eight days later, he was reissued his weapon and returned to full duty.

The cop remained on duty until the above story appeared Monday. Today, he is thankfully off the street, at least temporarily.