A Philadelphia police officer faces termination after being arrested for an alleged fight in which the officer’s gun fell and was picked up by a child.
Philadelphia Police Department Officer Joseph Marion, 45, was arrested Wednesday and faces misdemeanor counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct related to the incident in which he also punched a man in the mouth, the PPD said.
Marion and a man were fighting on April 18 when, during a struggle, Marion’s gun fell to the ground and was picked up by a child, according to the PPD. The department emphasized that Marion did not point the gun at the man or threatened him with it.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw has suspended Marion for 30 days with the intent to dismiss at the end of the 30 days. His arrest came after an internal investigation.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Online court records show Marion, a nine-year PPD veteran, pleaded guilty in 2017 to disorderly conduct in a fight dating back to November 2015.
Court records did not list an attorney for Marion. A spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 said the union had no comment about the case.
