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Man charged with striking Philadelphia police officer after involvement in illegal car meetup

Man charged following illegal car meetup in Philadelphia, police say
Man charged following illegal car meetup in Philadelphia, police say 00:32

A man who struck a Philadelphia police officer as he attempted to flee officers for his alleged involvement in an illegal car meetup in the city last weekend has been charged. Police said an officer shot the man after he struck the officer.

The car meetup injured a total of four officers, according to police. 

Philadelphia police say Quron Banks, 22, has been charged with aggravated assault, causing a catastrophe, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer and other offenses. 

According to police, Banks was driving a red Camaro with an unknown Florida registration that was one of several cars leaving a car meetup at a Target parking lot at 4000 Monument Road in Wynnefield Heights at about 11:15 p.m. on Saturday. Police said numerous cars were drag racing and doing donuts in the parking lot.

A Philadelphia Police Department lieutenant recognized Banks' red Camaro as a vehicle known for participating in illegal car meetups in the city, police said. Officers then pursued Banks, but he fled on I-76 eastbound at a high rate of speed. 

Hours later at about 2 a.m., an officer and his partner in plainclothes and an unmarked vehicle assigned to the Car Meet Detail saw the red Camaro park on the south side of Master Street facing westbound toward 9th Street in North Philly. 

The officers called for backup and attempted to stop Banks. According to police, once the officer pulled up alongside the passenger side of the Camaro, Banks went into reverse toward a marked police wagon and struck a patrol vehicle twice as he attempted to flee 9th and Master streets. 

Two officers inside the wagon left the vehicle while Banks was reversing, which led to one of them being struck by the Camaro. Police said the officer fell and hit her head. 

A police officer then shot his firearm one time and struck Banks' passenger's side window as the 22-year-old fled the scene. 

As Banks fled, he did two U-turns in traffic and struck two civilian vehicles and a police vehicle before driving away on I-95 South. Philly police decided not to continue to chase Banks due to the "hazardous pursuit conditions," according to police. 

Upper Darby Police in Delaware County eventually found the vehicle with heavy damage. The vehicle was towed as a part of the investigation. 

Police said Banks was eventually found inside Mercy-Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his neck.

The 36-year-old officer who was struck by Banks was taken to Jefferson Methodist Hospital and placed in stable condition, police said. She's a one-year veteran of the department who has since been released from the hospital. 

The 35-year-old officer who fired his weapon has since been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. He's a 14-year veteran of the department. 

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