A video recently surfaced online showing a Pennsylvania police officer punching a woman in the face during an altercation in Chester.
Police said a group of people attempted to crash a house party along the 900 block of E. 15th Street. The area mostly houses college students from nearby Widener University, families and longtime residents.
Prior to the police-involved incident, one of the people in the group, Jaylene Westfall, attacked one of the residents after they were turned away from the party. The woman then allegedly attacked another resident who tried to remove her from the home, according to investigators. When the residents locked the group outside the home, Westfall and her friends kicked the front door in, entered the home and attacked several people inside.
When officers arrived at the scene, a woman, identified as Dominique Difiore, allegedly assaulted a police sergeant. In turn, the officer, who appeared to be holding and stun gun, punched her back. However, witnesses confirmed the woman hit the officer first.
Difiore’s sister Amanda Parker told NBC10, “My sister is doing as well as she can right now. My sister’s actions are questionable, and she made a mistake. However, my sister is not a bad person. The officer involved is not a bad person. Let the investigation be done.”
Difiore, Westfall, Shawn Connelly, and Tess Herman were all arrested and charged with aggravated assault and alcohol-related offenses. A spokesperson from Widener University said none of the arrested individuals were students at the school and the incident did not take place on Widener’s campus nor was the party a university-sanctioned event.
Chester Police Chief James Nolan wrote in a released statement, “The incident, the video, and level of force used in connection with the event are all currently under investigation.”
