A student who said he was arrested for taking photos of police will go to trial in June.
Ian Van Kuyk, the Temple student arrested last month while taking pictures of Philadelphia Police officers, must wait longer to go to trial, after the district attorney did not present the police report at his arraignment yesterday, April 16.
At the arraignment, which was held at the Criminal Justice Center in Center City, Van Kuyk testified that he had received his subpoena and his trial date was set for June 13.
Robert Levant, Van Kuyk’s attorney, said after the arraignment that he must receive the official police report on the incident in order to move forward with the case.
“It’s all on the commonwealth right now to turn the reports over…that’s what we need to prepare the case properly,” Levant said.
A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson declined to comment on the case, which is being internally investigated.
Van Kuyk is being charged with obstructing justice and resisting arrest.
Both Levant and Van Kuyk remain hopeful for the case’s outcome. Van Kuyk argues that his rights were violated when he was arrested by police on March 14 after taking pictures of officers that had pulled over a vehicle outside of his residence in South Philadelphia.
Both Van Kuyk and his girlfriend, Meghan Feighan, were confronted by officers who asked them to move away from the scene. Van Kuyk said he distanced himself from the scene, but was allegedly thrown to the ground after he continued to take pictures. After Feighan picked up the fallen camera, officers arrested her, as well.
The docket released by the Municipal Court of Philadelphia County named Santos Higgins as the arresting officer. Higgins did not appear at the arraignment.
Van Kuyk was held for nearly 24 hours and released on his own recognizance following a preliminary arraignment on March 15.
John Moritz can be reached at john.moritz@temple.edu.
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