The Philadelphia Police Department said it is investigating an incident caught on camera in which a police officer shoved a man he accused of liking his daughter’s photo on Instagram.
The man, Jerald Bridges, alleged that the officer went further, threatening to shoot him.
Speaking to local TV station NBC10, Bridges denied knowing the officer’s daughter, saying, “I don’t even know his daughter.”
According to the station, the dispute stemmed from an earlier encounter on Nov. 5, when the officer approached Bridges and several other men in West Philadelphia.
Officers detained, handcuffed, and later released Bridges with a disorderly conduct citation.
Sources told NBC10 they had evidence that Bridges liked several photos of the officer’s daughters within an hour of receiving the citation, a claim Bridges disputed.
He said that after the initial encounter, people found the officer’s Instagram account and commented on his Halloween photos, none of which, he maintained, featured the officer’s daughter.
Footage posted by Instagram user “ceonafees” showed the officer confronting Bridges at the corner of 54th and Arlington streets. A second, brief video showed the officer during the earlier encounter, although it was unclear what role he played in issuing the citation.
In the video circulating online, the officer pulls up in a police vehicle and heads straight toward Bridges, accusing him of liking his daughter’s photo. He shoves Bridges and curses at him, though the video’s muffled audio makes it difficult to hear what he says.
The footage does not capture the alleged threat to shoot Bridges.
The officer then turns toward the man recording the encounter and smacks the phone out of his hand.
Commenters largely sided with Bridges, describing the officer as “emotional” and questioning why he would confront someone over an Instagram photo posted publicly.
“Why is he posting if he doesn’t want people to like the photos? They are obviously public!” one commenter wrote.
The officer’s decision to use his position of authority to confront Bridges over an Instagram dispute also drew criticism, with commenters questioning why he approached him while working.
“Why he do it while in uniform and on duty? Why not pull up while off duty and not in uniform?” one commenter asked.
Bridges also described his fear of the alleged threat during his interview with NBC10.
“Even the push, even the assault, that’s fine, but to say you’re going to put a bullet in my head when you really have a weapon, and you can have a weapon, I just think that’s crazy. I’m actually scared,” he said.
