Officer assaulted during arrest

A University Police officer was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Tuesday night after being injured during an arrest at the 7-Eleven on 38th and Chestnut streets. The officer, whose name was not released, noticed a homeless man panhandling in the convenience store at around 11:45 p.m. While escorting the man out of the store, the man pushed the officer into one of the store's windows, shattering the window and injuring one of the officer's hands. Lt. Gerald Leddy of the Penn Police Department said that the officer was treated for "soft tissue injuries to the left hand." The officer was released from HUP Wednesday morning at around 9:30 a.m. Leddy said the officer should be back at work shortly, after undergoing a follow-up evaluation of his injuries. The alleged assailant -- whose name cannot be released due to his possession of three different aliases -- was taken into custody at the scene after other officers arrived. Officials at HUP would not confirm the extent of the officer's injuries, but said that he was not taken to the trauma unit and did not suffer severe injuries. The 7-Eleven clerk on duty Tuesday night said he did not see the incident. In March 1999, a University police officer was assaulted while making an arrest outside of Blockley Hall. University employee Kenneth Ray, was arrested for the attack, but the charges against him were later dropped. November 1998 saw a high-profile incident in which four University Police officers were allegedly assaulted by a University student and two other men.