The beating took place on Ontario Street in Philadelphia on Thursday. The man who took the video was interviewed by Fox 29 but did not want to be identified by the television station. Although the video is relatively short, the man said the beating lasted between 20 and 30 minutes. The man doing the beating is shown slapping and punching the woman at the curb of the street.
In the video that lasts for 36 seconds, more than 10 men can be seen just standing there doing nothing to help. Cars pass the sidewalk where the beating is occurring and none of them stop. One man, who appears much bigger than the male doing the beating, is initially observed standing close to where it is taking place. He then casually crosses the street, scratching his head, and occasionally looking back at the action.
One man can be seen smiling or laughing at what was going on and another is shown also filming the beating.
The witness told Fox 29, “I did hear a commotion earlier. I didn’t pay no mind and then I came out and the guy was on top of the girl.”
When the man was asked if anyone tried to help the woman, he said, “no.” He said people were just standing around like a normal day. The witness also said he did not want to interfere because he might get hurt. “It’s bad out here,” he said.
Broadcasting and Cable reports Fox has begun using Fresco, a program that allows people to upload videos to its stations. After Fox 29 received the video they contacted police who were able to identify both the man and the woman. The woman was taken to hospital but the extent of her injuries have not been released.
As of yesterday, police said they are still investigating the matter and no charges had yet been laid against the man.
