Brian X. McCrone

2 Fired SEPTA Officers Charged With Beating Man on Train Platform

The alleged attack involved several punches and resulted in injuries, including a broken nose, according to SEPTA.

Two former SEPTA police officers, fired earlier this year, have been charged with allegedly attacking a man "without provocation" at the Frankford Transportation Center in December, the transit agency said Thursday.

David Simcox, 29, and Johnathan Lanciano, 29, allegedly attacked the unidentified man after responding to a report of an intoxicated person in the track area, SEPTA said in a press release.

They found the man about 12:30 a.m. Dec. 12 sitting on the edge of the platform of the Market-Frankford elevated line, with his legs dangling.

SEPTA officers charged
SEPTA
Former SEPTA police officers David Simcox and Johnathan Lanciano have been charged with assault.

Simcox is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and filing false reports. Lanciano is charged with simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and filing false reports.

The officers claimed that the man physically resisted, SEPTA said, but an investigation by the transit police department's Internal Affairs unit found no evidence to support their claim.

A message left for the officers' union, Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109, was not immediately returned.

The IA review "included review of station surveillance video and body-worn camera footage."

"The review found that the victim did not strike the officers or make any movements that could have been construed as reaching for a weapon. The victim was not found to be in possession of any weapons," according to a press release by the transit agency. "The review concluded that the officers punched the victim several times, resulting in injuries including a broken nose. The officers were not injured."

A spokesman for the Philadelphia District Attorney's office said the transit police department deserves "a tremendous amount of credit for self-policing."

SEPTA police brought the case initially to the DA's office, spokesman Ben Waxman said.

"We conducted our own investigation and concluded that the charges were appropriate," Waxman said. "We believe in an equal standard of justice for everybody and that is what this case is about."

Both men surrendered to police Thursday morning. It is unclear if they have defense attorneys yet.

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