Eyewitness Who Recorded Chester Arrest Speaks
Chester, Pa.--(WTXF)--An eyewitness is calling an arrest caught on video shocking. The man who recorded it says it shows officers beating a Delaware County man; however, Delaware County Prosecutors disagree.
Although he says sees no evidence of excessive force, the Delaware County District Attorney has launched an investigation into the video that recorded an arrest of a Chester man. Only FOX 29's Chris O'Connell interviewed the person that recorded the controversial arrest.
"It's like sickening every time I see it," the eyewitness told FOX 29.
Out of fear of retribution you are just hearing the voice of the man who shot the controversial video.
"Everybody is beating him. They are kicking him. Jumping him like a street fight. Cops shouldn't be able to do that," the eyewitness said.
It's a 3 minute video of a man getting punched, kicked and tased by police officers during a violent arrest in Chester on Sunday.
"I seen cops brutally punching a man in the face, another cop pulling up. She came out with her taser. They said, 'tase him.' She tased him. And after that she pulled out her baton and started beating him with a stick," the eyewitness said.
Police say the man at the center of it all is 49-year-old Walter Moat. He's known by friends as "Eddie F" they say he is mentally disabled. Chester police say they stopped him driving the wrong way down a one way street. What happens in the moments after was captured on smartphone.
"If you carefully look at the film. Mr. Moat is resisting," said Delaware County DA Jack Whelan.
Delaware County DA Jack Whelan launched the investigation after the video was made public on social media. They say what the video doesn't show is Moat punching two police officers, a stolen handgun found in his waistband and a long list of felonies dating back to the mid 80s.
"This is a dangerous individual and the police were lucky to apprehend him without further incident," Whelan explained.
Despite the police report, the man who watched and recorded the arrest says he never saw a gun and thinks what happened to Moat was excessive. He says he was afraid to help because he feared the same thing would happen to him.
"I wanted to help him. I wanted to help him, honestly, but I couldn't, the eyewitness told FOX 29.
Moat remains in the Delaware County prison on a $175,000 bail The four officers involved in the arrest are still on active duty.