Warrant for bouncer in Philly bar assault; Pa. man pleads guilty to Capitol riot charges; Cold temps ahead
THE RUNDOWN:
1. Warrant issued for bouncer in deadly assault outside Center City bar, officials say
PHILADELPHIA – Authorities have approved a third-degree murder charge against a bouncer accused of a deadly assault outside a Philadelphia bar.
Investigators say they are searching for 24-year-old Kenneth Frye, who was allegedly captured on surveillance camera punching 41-year-old Eric Pope outside Tabu Lounge and Sports in Center City.
Police say surveillance video from Apr.16 shows Pope being escorted out of the bar around 1 a.m. for being overly intoxicated. While standing along South 12th Street, police believe Frye punched him, knocking him to the ground unconscious.
The video shows Pope lying on the ground for a minute before the bouncers moved him to the sidewalk where he stayed for several more minutes as a crowd began to form around him.
Pope died at the hospital one week later, according to police.
Tabu's owner told FOX 29 that the bouncer involved is not an employee of Tabu and that the incident did not occur on their property.
Sources tell FOX 29's Kelly Rule that Frye was employed by Main Line Private Security, an embattled security company that police have received at least five about in the past month.
Activists are calling for justice and accountability for Pope, a Massachusetts native who was visiting Philadelphia from Washington D.C. when the deadly assault happened.
2. Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to striking officer with flagpole during Capitol riot
FILE - Generic gavel on wooden table.
WASHINGTON – Prosecutors say a Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to using a flagpole to strike a police officer several times during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
According to a Department of Justice press released, 71-year-old Howard C. Richardson entered the restricted area of the U.S. Capitol by pushing past metal barriers and police officers that were attempting to keep the crowd away.
Richardson, a Montgomery County resident, was carrying a flagpole that he used to strike a Metropolitan Police Department officer three times, according to court documents. Richardson allegedly hit the officer with enough force to break the pole, according to investigators.
Authorities arrested Richardson in Philadelphia last November. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a felony charge of assaulting law enforcement officers.
Prosecutors say Richardson faces a maximum of eight years in prison and a fine of up to $250k. He is scheduled to be sentenced in late August.
3. Investigation into Kensington fatal fire continues, as mother remains hospitalized
Hartville St fatal fire
PHILADELPHIA – One Philadelphia community is showing an outpouring of support for the family who lost a father and his three sons in a fire, as the probe raises new questions about the owners of the building.
The memorial for the victims of Sunday’s early morning fire has grown to include balloons bobbing in the wind and dozens of candles. A framed picture of the three Arroyo-Santana brothers and their dad, all killed in the flames, has been placed there.
Members of a local ministry known as The Rock have come to check on folks who live in the neighborhood.
A spokesperson the Philadelphia Fire Department says its investigation into the cause is ongoing while investigators hold firm to the belief the home did not have smoke alarm protection.
"We have found no evidence, so far, of working smoke alarms," Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said.
Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections says the rowhome, owned by Edwin and Gloria Ruiz, did not have a required rental license and the department says it will now send inspectors to a Ruiz-owned property on Widener Street to learn of it’s also an unlicensed rental.
The wife of Alexis and mother of 12-year-old Alexangel Arroyo-Santana, nine-year-old Yadriel and five-year-old Yamalier remains in the hospital, recovering from her leap from the second floor to safety.
With 21 fire deaths in the city just this year, firefighters are urging extreme caution.
4. Police: Group fires more than 20 shots at sound engineer outside South Philadelphia recording studio
Police say a 31-year-old sound engineer was shot once outside of a reccording studio in South Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA – Police in Philadelphia are investigating a shooting that took place in South Philadelphia early Wednesday morning, police say.
Officers with the 3rd District responded to a report of gunshots on Jackson Street, according to authorities.
Chief Inspector Scott Small says when officers arrived on the scene they found the shooting scene but were unable to locate a victim. Officers later learned there was a shooting victim around the corner on Columbus Boulevard, Small says.
According to Small, the victim, 31, was suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg and police took him to Jefferson Hospital, where he is in stable condition.
Police say a 31-year-old sound engineer was shot once outside a recording studio in South Philadelphia.
The victim told police he is a sound engineer who was working at a recording studio when he ordered food through Uber Eats, Small says.
Police say, the victim disclosed that when he went outside to meet the Uber Eats delivery driver that he saw five men in masks approaching him.
According to police, the sound engineer said he began to run and was shot in the leg as he fled the scene. He then ran into a Wawa where police later found him, authorities say.
Small says 21 spent shell casings were found outside the recording studio where the victim was shot.
"We know 21 shots were fired from a semi-automatic weapon," Small says.
5. Suspect in sex assault on SEPTA’s Broad Street Line in police custody, authorities say
PHILADELPHIA – A suspect sought in several sexual assaults on SEPTA property has been captured, law enforcement sources tell FOX 29's Steve Keeley.
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Police Department named Quintez Adams, 28, as a suspect in incidents that occurred on Apr. 4 and Apr. 24.
Law enforcement sources say Adams, who is believed to be homeless, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman on a SEPTA Broad Street line train last Sunday. The incident occurred between the Erie and Girard stations early in the afternoon, sources say.
Police say Adams is also wanted in connection with an indecent exposure incident that happened on Apr. 4 near the intersection of 7th and Market streets.
6. Weather Authority: Wind chill a factor Thursday morning as cold temps remain
PHILADELPHIA – Beautiful, blue skies dominate the rest of the week, but lower than average temperatures for the morning will have everyone thinking winter has made a surprise visit to the Delaware Valley.
FOX 29’s Kathy Orr says the wind will remain through Friday. Overnight temperatures into Thursday morning will be cold, with lows dipping to the mid 30s, and with the wind blowing. Wind chill readings will be in the 20s.
The National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Warning for Berks, Lehigh, Northampton and western Chester counties Thursday morning, from 2 a.m. through 8 a.m.
Thursday will be sunny, but highs will only reach the mid to upper 50s, with that brisk wind blowing, so another chilly, below-average day.
Friday will see highs in the low 60s, under sunny skies. The wind won’t be as harsh, but remains a factor.
Saturday should see conditions closer to normal for this time of year, under sunny skies.