PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Brian Glantz, 24, of Glenside, PA entered a plea of guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Lynne A. Sitarski to one count of simple assault arising from an incident in which he punched a Philadelphia Police Officer.
On Nov. 17, 2018, a demonstration was held at Independence National Historic Park under a permit granted to a group identified as “We the People." As National Park Service rangers and other law enforcement officers engaged in crowd control duties to disperse the crowd at the end of the rally, members of a counter-demonstration, including the defendant, pushed themselves against the officers and sought to physically confront the permitted group. During the confrontation, and while still on federal park property, officers sought to arrest Glantz, when he assaulted a Philadelphia Police Captain by punching him in the face. The defendant continued to resist the officers’ efforts to arrest him, kicking his legs and wrestling with the officers, until he was ultimately subdued and taken into custody.
“The right to peaceful demonstration is a dearly held freedom in our country, with the operative word being ‘peaceful,’" said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “In order to safeguard that right, law enforcement officers are routinely called upon to monitor and provide security at large public gatherings. Punching a police officer when that officer is working to protect our freedoms is a vile and cowardly act. And when it happens on federal property, it is also a federal crime, and will be treated as such."
The defendant faces a total maximum sentence of 1 year imprisonment, 5 years’ probation and $100,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the National Park Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Diviny.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
