A man was fatally struck by a SEPTA train in Philadelphia after an argument with another man on Thursday.
Chaz Wearing, 40, has since been charged with manslaughter in connection with the man’s death on the east side of the city’s 3400 Market Street subway platform, according to a statement shared with PEOPLE by the Philadelphia Police Department.
According to authorities, officers responded to a disturbance call around 4:34 p.m. Thursday.
Preliminary findings say the 38-year-old man held Wearing down as he “scolded him and made threatening gestures” along the track. Wearing then “took off, threw two punches and ended up on the platform, while the victim, unfortunately, fell onto the tracks and was hit by an El train,” according to police.
Video shared by NBC affiliate WCAU and ABC affiliate WPVI shows an altercation that occurred before an unidentified man was struck by a train on the Market-Frankford tracks.
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Photo by Chaz Wearing.
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“Both individuals involved in this were not using the system for its intended purpose,” SEPTA Police Chief Chuck Lawson told ABC affiliate WPVI, adding that transit police had just left the 34th Street station platform before the altercation broke out.
“That’s how fast this happened,” Lawson said.
After the argument, Wearing was taken into custody at 40th and Market streets, according to police. The victim’s name has not been released. He was pronounced dead at 17:42
As for Wearing, CBS reports that he has an open strangulation case in Delaware County and a criminal record in Clinton and Lycoming counties, citing the Philadelphia DA’s office. Authorities believe he is homeless.
The prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for information on Saturday.
“The Homicide Unit is currently conducting an ongoing investigation and updates will be provided as they become available,” the Philadelphia Police Department said in a statement.
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