Philly Soros-backed DA Larry Krasner will selectively punish looters after determining if they are 'fundamentally law-abiding people'

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has spoken out after dozens of people were charged in connection with rioting and looting that took place across the city in late September.

He warned against painting alleged offenders with a broad brush, and vowed to prosecute those who took part in the often violent events on a case-by-case basis.

"We're going to prosecute people in an even-handed way," Krasner said in an interview with Fox News during a crime summit at St. Joseph's University on Saturday. "We're not going to let any judge, who thinks there is a caste system, and some people get better treatment than others, ... disturb the peace of this city."
 

The district attorney said of the looters that his office would "look carefully to see whether this is a one-off situation and they're fundamentally law-abiding people ... or whether they are criminals, and they're all about taking advantage of some sort of unrest for their own benefit."

Depending on which of those categories the suspects fall into, Krasner vowed to "hold them accountable one way" or ensure they are "prosecuted another way."

Over 60 people were arrested in the immediate aftermath of the riot which was spurred on by news that charges had been dismissed against a Philadelphia police officer accused of killing Eddie Irizarry in August.

The situation quickly devolved, with thieves wreaking havoc on Apple, Lululemon, and Foot Locker stores. The perpetrators made off with thousands of dollars worth of products, and left extensive damage in their wake.

Among those arrested was Kenneth Frye, a 24-year-old who was out on bail after being charged with third-degree murder for the killing of a gay man in 2022.

Another arrestee was Dayjia Blackwell, better known as "Meatball." She was seen live-streaming the chaos, chanting "Everybody must eat, everybody must eat, everybody must eat" as looters entered an already broken-into liquor store.

Krasner has been criticized for his soft-on-crime approach, and was impeached by Pennsylvania Republicans last year.