A Philadelphia police officer is now facing charges after he was accused of deleting a suspect’s smartphone video during an arrest.
On Wednesday, Officer Tyree Burnett was arrested and charged after an incident on March 23.
The incident took place at around 10:20 p.m. at a gas station in the city’s Olney area on the 100 block of East Champlost Avenue.
Attorney Lennon Edwards of Mills & Edwards LLP claimed that his client Jacob Giddings was seated in a vehicle talking with a friend when officer Burnett opened his door and asked for identification.
According to his attorney, Giddings informed Officer Burnett that he intended to record the event.
Edwards said, “The moment that he says that, the officer begins to pull him out of the vehicle, you see his phone drop.”
At the time, Giddings had an active warrant out for his arrest since 2020, but Edwards claims that his client knew nothing about it.
Burnett’s bodycam video showed him deleting the video of Giddings arrest off his phone.
Monetary damages are being sought in the case against the police department.
Burnett is accused of tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, and official oppression. He has been suspended for 30 days by Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, with the intention of dismissing him at the end of the period.
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