Progressive DA says he will investigate if Philly looters are ‘law-abiding people’ before prosecuting them
Progressive Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who has been accused of being soft on crime, told reporters in recent days he will investigate the people involved in widespread looting of the city in an "even-handed way." Source: FOX 29
Progressive Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who has been accused of being soft on crime, assured reporters in recent days that he will investigate the people involved in widespread looting of the city in an "even-handed way."
Krasner, who was impeached by Pennsylvanian Republicans last year for policies they alleged exacerbated crime in the city, claimed that he will weigh whether those arrested in connection to the looting have been "fundamentally law-abiding people" throughout their lives despite their antics over the weekend.
Krasner made his comments at a pre-planned crime summit at St. Joseph’s University on Saturday following last week’s crime spree where crowds broke into multiple Philadelphia stores, stealing products and destroying property.
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Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks with members of the media during a news conference in Philadelphia, Oct. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Among the stores hit were an Apple Store, a Rite Aid and a Dunkin’. Philly police have released more security cam footage this week for others to help them identify more suspects who can be brought to justice for the incident.
At the summit, Krasner told FOX 29 there will be judicial restraint while prosecuting criminals.
He said, "We’re going to prosecute people in an even-handed way. We’re not going to let any judge – who thinks there is a caste system, and some people get better treatment than others – we’re not going to let any judge disturb the peace of this city."
The FOX affiliate described Krasner’s approach to prosecuting these looters as being focused on "individual justice," noting that the DA claimed the suspects will be dealt with on a "case-by-case basis."
Krasner continued, "We’ll look carefully to see whether this is a one-off situation and they’re fundamentally law-abiding people, hold them accountable one way; or whether they are criminals, and they’re all about taking advantage of some sort of unrest for their own benefit, and they will be prosecuted another way."
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Despite Krasner’s appeal to even-handed justice, many in Pennsylvania do not trust the district attorney with solving the crime problem. A majority of Republican lawmakers in the state impeached Krasner last October for "misbehavior in office" and obstructing a legislative committee investigating his office.
His political opponents have accused him of exacerbating Philadelphia's crime problem by implementing certain criminal justice reform policies and botching certain cases.
That same year, Nakisha Lewis, the mother of a young man who was slain at a Philly mall, pointed to Krasner’s policies for the death of her son, claiming he has given a free pass to criminals.
At the time, GOP state Rep. Martina White noted that residents are "living in fear" due to the crime that has risen under Krasner.
She pointed out how there were 562 homicides in Philadelphia in 2021 compared to 315 in 2017 — the year before Krasner took office.
Fox News Digital’s Rebecca Rosenberg and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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