Four Philadelphia Police officers are recovering in the hospital after breaking up an illegal car meetup late Saturday night.
Inspector D F Pace said that just before midnight, officers were called to the Target shopping center on the 4000 block of Monument Road in the city’s Wynnefield Heights neighborhood after getting reports that numerous cars were drag racing and doing donuts.
Pace said police began to disperse the cars when several vehicles began driving in a reckless manor in various directions. Pace said officers tried to contain and stop as many cars as they could, but the vehicles started taking off at an “extremely high rate of speed.”
According to Pace, some of those cars started speeding toward police vehicles, which caused the officers to veer off the road to avoid being hit. Two officers in one police cruiser and a sergeant in another cruiser ended up crashing into polls and buildings at West Tioga and North Broad streets.
Police were able to locate the vehicle that caused the accident at nearby 17th and Ontario streets. A search is currently underway for the suspected driver, who is known by police.
The three officers injured in the crash were transported to Temple University Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Pace said the officers had injuries to their legs, ankles and feet, and will undergo MRIs to determine if they have any broken bones.
An additional vehicle that was at the car meet was stopped for reckless driving near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The driver was taken into custody.
Pace said officers were able to get tag numbers from several cars that fled the scene and will be looking for the drivers as the investigation continues. Four people were arrested at the scene where the car meetup was held and face numerous charges including reckless driving and serious assault on a police officer.
A few hours later around 3 a.m., Philadelphia officers attempted to stop a red Chevrolet Camaro that they believe was connected to the car meetup. Once officers surrounded the vehicle, Pace said the operator went into reverse and struck an officer. At least one police officer fired their weapon in the direction of the car, though Pace said it’s unknown exactly how many shots were fired.
“It’s unclear whether that driver of that vehicle was intentional in striking that officer and attempting to run that officer down, or whether it was while in the process of trying to elude officers,” Pace said. “We just don’t know that yet.”
The Camaro then sped away, though police said it’s unclear if anyone in the car was hit. The officer struck by the vehicle is in the hospital. Their condition is unknown at this time.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
