PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — One of the defendants arrested for fatally shooting Philadelphia Police Sgt. Richard Mendez, two years ago, and wounding his partner, took the stand Friday against his co-defendants.
Through an interpreter, 23-year-old Alexander Batista-Polanco said he, Yobranny Martinez-Fernandez, Hendrick Peña-Fernandez and Jesús Madera-Durán drove to an airport parking garage on Oct. 12, 2023, to steal a car.
Batista-Polanco said he knew Yobranny and Hendrick as “YoYo” and “Heni,” and that when they broke the window of a Dodge Charger and tried to reprogram a key fob, they were interrupted by Mendez and his partner…