Philadelphia police officer struck by ATV driver on I-95; suspect still at large
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Police now say they don't have a suspect in custody after an officer on a motorcycle was struck and injured by an ATV rider in South Philadelphia Tuesday night.
The officer was working a detail focused on curbing the use of illegal ATVs and dirt bikes in the city when he was struck on I-95 near the Walt Whitman Bridge, according to comments Inspector George Kappe made to reporters Tuesday night and a statement from a department spokesperson Wednesday.
Kappe said the officer encountered a group of riders, and one of them "intentionally" struck him, which led to the officer falling off his motorcycle and suffering a foot injury and "road rash."
Police said the officer encountered "a group of roughly 50-60 ATVs" near the Packer Avenue off-ramp on I-95's northbound side just after 7:15 p.m.
The police spokesperson said the motorcycle officer was tailing a red quad operated by a Black man wearing black clothing and a black ski mask who broke away from the group of other ATVs.
"The officer, observing smoke from the rear of the quad, suspected mechanical issues [and] he began following it onto the ramp. Subsequently, the operator of the quad intentionally turned into the officer's motorbike, causing him to lose control and crash. The quad fled the scene, leaving the injured officer behind," the statement continued.
The officer was placed in stable condition at Jefferson University Hospital, Kappe said. The officer has since been released, police later confirmed.
Police later put out "flash information" over police radio and officers in the 24th District found "a quad matching the description" heading northbound on Richmond Street but lost sight of it, a police spokesperson said.
Later, a 15th District police officer reported noticing a red quad near a home on the 5100 block of Erdrick Street in Northeast Philadelphia. Police were present near the front and back entrances of the home when a man came outside of the property.
The statement from police spokespeople does not mention whether a man was taken into custody. However, Kappe had told reporters a suspect was taken into custody on that block.
"However, further investigation determined that the ATV in question was not the same one involved in the incident with the officer. Presently there are no charges and the investigation remains ongoing with South Detective Division," the police statement read.
Police continue to search for the driver responsible for causing the officer to crash.
Meanwhile, the identity of the officer has not been released. Kappe said the officer works at the 12th Police District and is a six-year veteran of the department.
Earlier this year, Mayor Cherelle Parker issued a new directive to Philly police to up their enforcement of illegal dirt bikes and ATVs throughout the city.
"We have a strong initiative in the Philadelphia Police Department to combat this problem throughout the city," Kappe said. "Nowhere is immune, whether it's South Philadelphia where this happened at. In any section of the city you can go and see the ATVs and dirtbikes riding recklessly, endangering the public. We're taking some practice steps to try to curb this and eliminate this from happening."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that no one has been charged with assault of a police officer.
