Crime Scene Unit officers transport files to the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice for start of opening statements in shooting death of Philadelphia Police officer Richard Mendez, Wednesday, November 12, 2025. Read more Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

by Jesse Bunch Published Nov. 14, 2025, 4:58 p.m. ET

The trial of two men accused of murdering Philadelphia Police Officer Richard Mendez took a major turn Friday when another man involved in the 2023 shooting took the stand to testify against his former associates.

Prosecutors say Alexander Batista-Polanco, of Camden, rode in a stolen Dodge Durango with three other young men that October evening as they stole a vehicle at the stadium area and later headed to Philadelphia International Airport to steal y

See Full Page