The business manager of IBEW
Local 98 and a nonunion contractor are pointing fingers at each other as
authorities investigate a fight between the two men.
Philly.com reports John Dougherty, along with three other men, confronted
Joshua Keesee, a nonunion contractor, near a
South Philly construction site on Jan. 21 over a union decal on his truck.
Keesee said he agreed to remove the sticker from his
truck, but the confrontation escalated after he told the well-known union boss
he was "not intimidated."
The two men soon exchanged punches – a physical
altercation they both acknowledge occurred yet point the finger as to who was
the aggressor that threw the first hit.
Keesee said the group began attacking him, and a witness
told Philly.com he saw the men rush the nonunion contractor.
A spokesman for Dougherty said he acted in self-defense,
but an investigation is still underway.
Keesee's lawyer, Robert Mozenter, said detectives told him they
had urged the District Attorney's Office to arrest Dougherty and the men with
him on aggravated assault charges. But, Mozenter said, District Attorney Seth Williams instead referred the case to state
Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane. A spokesman for Williams did
not return repeated calls seeking comment. Nor did the detective assigned to
the case. A spokesman for Kane confirmed that the District Attorney's Office
had contacted her staff to refer a criminal matter involving Dougherty.
Philly.com reports there is some surveillance video of
the scene, but it shows the melee as it came to an end and not who instigated
the fight. Criminal charges have not yet been filed, although many may keep a
close watch on what Williams and Kane decide given the financial contributions
made by the Local 98 to their campaigns.
Source: Philadelphia
Business Journal
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