Philadelphia mayor has warning for fans after Eagles NFC championship win
Mayor Cherelle Parker issued a warning to Philadelphia residents about celebrating Eagles playoff wins: do not shoot guns in celebratory fashion.
The Philadelphia mayor said Monday that the city celebrated "responsibly" after the Eagles won the NFC championship game but pleaded with fans to avoid firing firearms during celebrations.
Police are investigating after a video on social media showed a man firing a gun into the air at Frankford and Cottman avenues after the Birds' victory. The mayor said Northeast Philadelphia detectives have video, and she expects an arrest to be made.
"If I could ask Philadelphians to do anything, you don't want to be in a celebratory moment to have a tragedy occur," Parker said. "You don't want that. So please, please don't shoot guns in the air."
In a press conference, Parker addressed two other incidents that happened after the Eagles' 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders. She said a man was arrested after a stabbing in the parking lots at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. She also said charges are pending against a driver who drove into a large crowd at Broad and Spring Garden streets, injuring multiple people. Police later said 26-year-old Rebekah DeShields of Narberth, Pennsylvania, was charged with aggravated assault, driving without a license and related offenses.
Police said there were 31 citations for disorderly conduct or failure to disperse and four assaults on police with two arrests. Other incidents include two shootings, and the front of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office was vandalized, according to police.
Multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News Philadelphia that they never saw that many people on Broad Street.
Overall, though, Parker praised Philadelphia for how they celebrated the Eagles' win.
"Listen, by and large, Philly, we celebrated responsibly," Parker said. "I do think our police and emergency responders did an excellent job with crowd control."
Police used a different strategy for the Eagles celebration. They didn't grease the poles on South Broad Street but used bike racks to keep people in the street while police maintained the sidewalks. It didn't exactly work.
CBS News Philadelphia cameras spotted one fan climbing a pole on Broad Street, and videos and pictures posted on social media showed fans scaling poles and even historical markers.
A man seen in one video atop a pole at 15th and Market streets is in critical condition after falling to the ground.
Nick Alessandro from Blackwood, New Jersey, was in the crowd celebrating and witnessed the incident.
"He was trying to take down the Eagles flag from the pole, and I guess he lost his balance and then fell," Alessandro said. "And then everyone swarmed toward him, but other people went away. It was a mess."
A second person is in critical condition at a hospital after police sources say he attempted an unsuccessful backflip.
City officials will meet to discuss how to best prepare for a possible even bigger celebration less than two weeks away.
