A member of an influential Philadelphia political family was arrested after he allegedly punched a security guard outside the Met minutes before the start of Tuesday’s inauguration ceremony.
Sharif Street Jr., 24, of North Philadelphia, has been charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct. His father is state Sen. Sharif Street, who also serves as chair of the state Democratic Party, and John Street, the city’s former mayor, is his grandfather.
Police said Street Jr. and his 80-year-old grandfather were stopped just after 10 a.m. at a barricade near the back entrance to the Met, located at Broad and Poplar streets. Street Jr. is accused of punching an event security guard multiple times in the face.
Then, as he walked toward Broad Street, several witnesses flagged down police officers, but Street Jr. refused the commands of law enforcement and tried to walk past them, according to the PPD. A crowd of onlookers formed and watched as police apprehended him following a brief struggle, authorities said.
Investigators said the guard sustained injuries to his face, but he was not hospitalized.
The Streets’ camp is saying that Street Jr. was standing up for his grandfather, who they assert was grabbed aggressively by security.
“It’s our position that, at that time, my client was protecting his family,” his attorney, George Gossett Jr., told Metro.
John Street was seated on stage, along with other former mayors, including Jim Kenney and W. Wilson Goode, as Cherelle Parker was sworn in as mayor.
“I think that there needs to be some better training of individuals that are in the security capacity, especially when you’re dealing with elderly people,” Gossett said. “I think this whole incident could have been avoided if the person… had not rough-handled the former mayor.”
A representative from the Met referred questions to the PPD.
Street Jr. pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct Dec. 14 and received 30 days probation relating to a February arrest in Ambler, according to court records. Gossett, who also represented him in that matter, declined to discuss the case.
Temple University police arrested Street Jr. for disorderly conduct in September, and he was admitted to a diversionary program that included a requirement that he complete five hours of community service.
