Members of the 2nd Police District Advisory Council honored Baldomiro Soares as the district’s February Officer of the Month during their April 8 meeting at the Philadelphia Protestant Home on Tabor Avenue.
According to Community Relations Officer Dianne Murphy, Soares was working as the detail officer at the TD Bank, 2200 Cottman Ave., at 2:55 p.m. on Feb. 23 when an employee told him the bank had just been robbed.
The bank worker pointed to the robber, who was leaving the building. Soares went after the man, later identified as Jonathan Duffy of the 8900 block of Alicia Street. The officer caught up to the man, according to Murphy, and ordered him to stop and drop to the ground.
The man initially complied, according to Murphy, but then resisted when Soares tried to handcuff him.
“At this point, the offender was able to pull the officer to the ground and place him in an arm hold. The officer was not able to pull his arm from the offender’s grasp or place the handcuffs on the offender,” according to Murphy. “The officer struck the offender one time and the offender released his grip.”
Duffy fled west and then attempted to get into a vehicle stopped at a Cottman Avenue traffic light. The driver was able to pull away. Duffy ran onto Cottman and was caught shortly afterward, according to Murphy.
Soares suffered a minor laceration and swelling to his left hand.
Duffy, 34, is facing assault, resisting arrest, robbery, theft and related charges, according to online Common Pleas Court records. He has since posted bail. A pretrial conference is scheduled for April 30.
In other business, Larry Genetti, the PDAC’s treasurer, said the organization needs about $3,300 in donations to pay for the yearly barbecue it hosts for the officers and detectives at police headquarters at Harbison and Levick. The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 7. Donations have been trickling in, but so far total only $700, Genetti said.
The PDAC also has a Community Day and Bike Ride scheduled for Sept. 13.
The PDAC’s next meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, at the Philadelphia Protestant Home, 6500 Tabor Ave. ••
