Philadelphia DA's Office charges 26-year-old in viral biker attack video
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced charges following the arrest of the man police said is involved in the viral rear windshield smashing in Center City traffic captured on video.
Officials identified the man in the viral video as 26-year-old Cody Heron.
The 26-year-old's charges included possession of an instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person, and multiple counts of aggravated assault, the DA's office said Wednesday.
First Assistant Robert Listenbee condemned Heron's actions and said his "lawless behavior is totally unacceptable here in the city and county of Philadelphia."
The charges come three days after the viral video allegedly showing Heron jump on Nikki Bullock's car just outside City Hall.
At 8:40 p.m. on Sunday, Bullock was driving in her car with her 2-year-old and a 5-year-old in the backseat and her girlfriend in the front seat. Her car was stopped at a red light at 1400 Penn Square when a bunch of motorbikes surrounded her car.
Heron ran his bike into Bullock's car door, which led to a verbal confrontation between the two. Police said he then got off his bike and the following events you see in the video detail what happened next.
Bullock then reported the incident to police in South Philadelphia. Shortly after the report was filed, they became aware of the video and asked the public for tips.
Officials believe Heron then changed his names on some of his social media accounts. So when the public was filing tips, they came in with the wrong name. This was discovered by the Criminal Intelligence Unit's social media section.
"We don't know if he made that name up and it just happened to be people with that name and people gravitated toward that name in this area, or if he was intentionally doxing or trying to take over that person's identity," Interim First Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said.
Police were able to track Heron through his digital footprint to uncover his real identity. This led the investigation to a location in Frankford where a search warrant was eventually obtained Tuesday and served.
Evidence in the case was recovered from the location, including certain clothing, firearm and the speed bike police believe is shown in the video.
Heron was taken into custody and charged Wednesday.
Assistant District Attorney William Fritze said Heron was going into his arrangement during the press conference. The DA's office requested very high bail. The exact amount is unknown at this time.
Assistant District Attorney Kevin Bentancur said he spoke with Bullock earlier and that she was still in shock.
"She [Bullock] told me her children have been having a lot of issues sleeping, just a lot of nightmares coming through with this incident," he said.
These large groups of ATV's and bikes continue to put residents on edge. Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said police are committed to shutting these groups down.
"This is our continuous efforts to make this city safe. This is our continuous efforts for people to feel that level of safety when they are doing normal things of driving around the city or traversing through our city," he said.
Stanford also commended the public for their help in identifying Heron.
"The criminal actions of this defendant left four victims traumatized," Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said. "I'd like to thank the public for their tips, which assisted our investigators in bringing the suspect into custody, as well as the District Attorney's Office for their continued collaboration."
City leaders hope the arrest of Heron makes it clear that this activity is unacceptable.
"By working together we can solve this problem. We know that this behavior cannot be tolerated," Councilmember Mark Squilla said.
