Lieutenant relased from hospital

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A 1st District lieutenant who was left with broken bones last week while trying to arrest a suspect in a pharmacy store theft was released from the hospital Monday, police said.

“He’s doing great,” Sgt. Rocco Basile of the 1st District said of Lt. Douglas Stanford.

Stanford arrived at Rite Aid, 1500 W. Moyamensing Ave., at 5:40 p.m. Aug. 17 for a routine security check. At that time, employees told him a man still in the store had taken items from the shelves and placed them in his bag. Stanford attempted to arrest the accused — Perry Martin — as he exited the business, but the 42-year-old allegedly resisted and the struggle continued outside.

Martin, who had been arrested 22 times, allegedly “flipped Lt. Stanford and then body-slammed him with all his might to the concrete ground,” Capt. Laurence Nodiff of South Detectives said at an Aug. 18 press conference.

Martin escaped via bicycle as Stanford remained on the ground in pain, police said. The officer was transported to HUP in critical condition with three broken ribs, a bruised lung and a bruised skull.

Martin was arrested near his home on the 1700 block of South 28th Street at 3:55 p.m. Aug. 18 and charged with retail theft, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, robbery and resisting arrest, according to court documents.

His prior arrests have consisted mainly of theft, retail theft and possession. He has spent time in jail for possession in connection to a 2003 charge, an ’05 retail theft and a DUI in April, but other sentences consisted solely of probation, which he reportedly had violated 62 times since ’05, according to court records.

Stanford, a 29-year veteran with the department who was promoted from traffic sergeant two years ago, is “a hard-working guy. The community absolutely loves him,” 1st District Capt. Lou Campione said last week. “He runs a great squad.”

There is no timeline on when he will return to work, Basile said, adding “He’s got a little bit of a road to recovery.”

Contact Staff Writer Amanda Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.

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