Tempers flare: A still from a video is shown from a fight inside the Wawa at Torresdale Avenue and Levick Street. SOURCE: FACEBOOK / MEANWHILE IN PHILLY
Police are investigating a video posted on Facebook that shows about a half-dozen men and women ransacking a Northeast convenience store while quarreling with employees and other patrons.
Investigators believe the video was shot at Wawa on Torresdale Avenue and Levick Street, said Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum of Northeast Detectives. The date and time are unknown. A man who did not appear involved in the fracas recorded the 3-minute, 21-second, clip on a mobile phone while providing verbal commentary. It has been posted on the “Meanwhile in Philly” page.
As the video begins, a man in a green polo-style shirt and white shorts is shown arguing with a store employee, who is standing behind a counter. A larger man in a white T-shirt and shorts appears to be shielding the disgruntled patron from his target. A woman in mustard-colored pants and man in a dark T-shirt with a light blue baseball cap also appear to be intervening.
Soon, the man in the green shirt grabs some items from a display rack and tosses them over the counter. He then grabs some snacks from under a heat lamp display and tosses them to the floor, before snatching some pre-made sandwiches from a cold case and hurling them through the air. Soon, the woman in the mustard pants joins him in throwing the packaged food.
Eventually, a fight breaks out involving several of the aforementioned patrons and two men who had been witnessing the melee. Store employees escorted the two men to a rear storage room, prompting the other combatants to exit the store and board a dark Ford passenger van with a black grill.
An employee locked the front door behind them.
Rosenbaum said police are reviewing the video and have contacted the store to assess the value of the damage. Police have not released the identities of those depicted in the video and have not filed criminal charges. ••
