Criminal charges were dropped yesterday against two Penn students arrested during a chaotic sorority event last Thursday.
By dropping the charges, lawyers for the students said the city avoided what could have been a costly civil-rights lawsuit from their clients.
At the preliminary hearing, College senior Zach Kerner and Wharton senior Matt Blaszko faced several charges, including aggravated assault, a felony.
Kerner -- who admitted to hitting a Penn Police officer in the chest -- was charged with disorderly conduct and will have to pay a fine of up to $300.
All charges were dropped against Blaszko -- including aggravated and simple assault, resisting arrest and reckless endangerment.
The students were arrested when police arrived at World Cafe Live to disperse a crowd of as many as 600 that had gathered to see Alpha Chi Omega's Big Man on Campus philanthropy event.
At least two dozen witnesses from the night of the incident were prepared to testify for the defense, and several of them, lawyers said, might lodge complaints now that the charges have been dropped.
Kerner was originally charged with aggravated and simple assault, inciting a riot, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment of another person and disorderly conduct.
Officer Wendell Reed -- whom Kerner hit -- said he was not hurt.
Philadelphia Police Capt. Ben Naish said Blaszko did not follow orders to disperse and struck a female Philadelphia Police officer while flailing his elbows. The officer did not believe this was intentional, Naish said.
Kerner and Blaszko made public apologies to the officers involved in their arrests and assumed responsibility for their actions.
"I hope you've learned a lesson,"Judge Francis Cosgrove told Blaszko. "Young man, consider yourself one of the luckiest persons in the world. ... Go out that door and don't look back."
Blaszko and his lawyer, Robert Levant, declined to comment.
Though Kerner also declined to comment, his lawyers, Gregg Cotler and Jeffrey Sigman, said they were satisfied with the result of the hearing.
The lawyers plan to file a motion for expungement to remove charges from Kerner's record.
"A compromise was reached which was fair and appropriate to all parties," Sigman said. "Zachary is no longer facing any criminal charges, and the government is no longer facing a civil-rights suit nor a costly, expensive and what could be a ... humiliating trial."
Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey also said he was satisfied with the result of the hearing, adding that officers involved "attempt[ed] to make a safe situation for everyone."
The hearing -- scheduled for 8:30 a.m. -- was delayed for several hours as lawyers worked out a compromise with the assistant district attorney.
More than 30 student witnesses and friends of the students attended the hearing.
Sigman said he and Cotler spoke to 10 to 15 students who said they witnessed and experienced excessive police aggression.
"Without provocation, I think there was inappropriate activity by both the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia police," Cotler said.
As of noon yesterday, there was only one filed complaint about Penn Police conduct at Thursday's event, and there are no filed complaints regarding Philadelphia Police.
"That's going to change," Cotler said.
Cotler and Sigman said they instructed witnesses not to file complaints because they did not want them to interfere with the hearing.
BMOC aftermath - College senior Zach Kerner fined $300 for disorderly conduct for hitting a police officer - All charges dropped against Wharton senior Matt Blaszko
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.