In a word–troubling. That's how Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey describes what the world has now seen.
Video of high ranking police Lt. Jonathan Josey winding up and punching a woman in the face following this weekend's Puerto Rican day parade.
"From what I saw it is difficult to justify the actions that took place" said Ramsey.
Fresh off west coast trip for a police conference, Ramsey says he hasn't read the reports about what happened but the video does tell a story.
"If there is an arrest to be made. You use only the force necessary to effect that arrest. From what I saw that was in excess of what was needed to bring the situation under control" he said.
Meanwhile the woman who was punched Aida Guzman, still sporting a busted lip, appeared with her attorney demanding justice.
"I want these charges dropped against my client" said attorney Enrique Latoison of Media, PA.
"The officer viciously attacks my client," he said. "He hits her from the side roundhouses and drops her to her knees and has the audacity to charge her with a crime."
That call to drop the charges was echoed by City Councilwoman Maria Qunionez-Sanchez who represents the 7th District where the incident happened.
"It is a commanding officer who has been trained to maintain calm lost his cool and that is not acceptable" she said.
Ramsey says the incident is the latest in a string of embarrassments for Philadelphia Police. He hopes it's not tarnishing the department's image he's trying to clean up.
"Certainly we have people that have not conducted themselves in a matter consistent with that but we have a lot that do and all it takes is a negative incident to kind of paint everyone with a broad brush" said Ramsey.
The decision to drop the charges against Guzman remains with the District Attorney's office. Lt. Josey has been assigned to desk duty for the remainder of the Internal Affairs investigation.
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