Fight at Chickie's & Pete's involving at least 4 leads to officer assault in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- An altercation involving at least four people led to an officer being repeatedly punched at Chickie's & Pete's in South Philadelphia on Friday.

It happened at approximately 7 p.m. at the restaurant located on the 1500 block of Packer Avenue.

Police responded to the scene for a reported disturbance. At Chickie's & Pete's, two employees told police that a group of men had been in an altercation inside the restaurant.

Officers say they de-escalated the situation and were preparing to leave when two men reportedly started physically fighting.

The fight was broken up and the two men were taken into custody for disorderly conduct, investigators say.

According to police, a woman was also taken into custody for disorderly conduct. No further information on her has been released.

Police say a third man involved in the group, who was identified as 39-year-old Joseph Baldino, was later observed being visibly intoxicated and belligerent.

When an officer attempted to detain the third suspect, he allegedly began punching the officer repeatedly on the side of the head.

After a brief struggle, the officer and several other authorities say they were able to detain Baldino.

The officer sustained injuries to his neck, face, and head, authorities say. He did not seek medical attention.

Baldino was taken to a hospital for minor injuries. Police say he was treated, released, and then transported to a booking center to be processed on charges relating to assaulting a police officer.

Police say the first three suspects taken into custody -- two men and a woman -- were issued code violation notices and released from police custody.