Officials address I-95 shooting, illegal car meets that created chaos on Philadelphia streets

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia and Pennsylvania State Police are sharing new information about chaos on city streets that later spilled onto I-95 and ended with a driver being fatally shot by a trooper. 

Both agencies were joined by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner Monday afternoon to discuss the illegal ‘car meets’ that occurred Saturday night into early Sunday morning. 

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw says the illegal vehicular activity began shortly after 1 a.m. in the intersection of Bustleton and Philmont avenues. There, Outlaw says motorists took over the intersection along with a crowd of hundreds of pedestrians. 

Officers from the department's assigned ‘car meet detail’ responded to the scene and were met with objects that were thrown from the crowd, striking their patrol cars. Outlaw says the objects thrown included bricks, but no officers were injured. 

Police say the officers were forced to retreat and await the arrival of additional officers to assist in dispersing the crowd. 

Around the same time, Outlaw says officers responded to reports of drag racing along the 500 block of Byberry Road. Responding officers located a number of cars parked in a gas station nearby.

As an officer pulled into the gas station, the driver of a Dodge Charger backed into the patrol car and then drove around several other police cars before fleeing into Montgomery County. No injuries or arrests were reported in this incident. 

Around 2:30 a.m., officers responded to a report of gunshots and drag racers in the area of Broad and York streets. As police arrived on the scene, Outlaw says individuals in the crowd began throwing debris at the patrol cars, smashing one of the windshields. No injuries were reported.  

Then, at approximately 3 a.m., police responded to the 2400 block of North Broad Street. One of the department’s car meet officers came across an intoxicated male who Outlaw says was attempting to flee in his vehicle. 

During an investigation, police say the 19-year-old man became ‘irate’ and physically attacked the officer. The officer was able to take him into custody but suffered injuries during the altercation. 

The suspect, who police say lives outside the city, was the only person arrested in connection with the various car meet ups Saturday night and Sunday morning, police confirmed Monday. 

Pennsylvania State Police became involved around 3:30 a.m., when troopers were dispatched to I-95 in the area of Penn’s Landing for reports of numerous vehicles and pedestrians blocking the highway for a car meet-up. 

Drivers were reported to be racing and doing burnouts, and state police received reports of shots being fired. 

When troopers arrived on the scene they found the highway blocked by vehicles and pedestrians who were watching from outside of their vehicles. 

Two troopers then spotted a black Audi S4 parked on the shoulder of the highway with its license plate completely covered.  Four people were then seen getting into that Audi, and state police say the troopers positioned their patrol car in front of that car. 

The troopers then got out of their vehicle and approached the Audi on foot. 

"While on foot the operator of the Audi, later identified as Anthony Allegrini Jr. – 18 years of age from Delaware County, Pennsylvania – failed to yield and struck the two troopers," State Police Captain Gerard McShea explained during Monday’s press conference. 

One of the troopers then discharged his firearm into the front windshield, striking Allegrini. Allegrini was later pronounced dead at the scene. Officials say they believe only a single shot was fired. 

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Both troopers suffered minor injuries to their legs. State police say those troopers were the only law enforcement on the scene at the time of the shooting.

Prior to the incident on I-95, state police say Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management had informed them via email of the other incidents occurring on the city’s surface streets. 

State police, Philadelphia police, and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner all took time during Monday’s press conference to warn of the dangers these illegal car meets present, and the consequences participants could face.

"Anybody who is thinking about street racing or drifting, you’ve got to cut it out," Krasner said. "If you come to my attention, you’re going to be in a jail cell. If you don’t cut it out, you’re going to be dealing with the consequences of what you do." 

Krasner joined state police in asking anyone who may have video of the incident on I-95 to come forward. 

State police addressed questions during the press conference about videos of the shooting aftermath that have surfaced on social media. Those videos have prompted some, including Allegrini’s girlfriend, to question what led up to the shooting. 

"It’s hard to put a whole story together off of a glimpse of video," Captain McShea said. "You will not know the whole story if you see something after it occurred, before it occurred – it’s putting the pieces together."

McShea added that troopers are not currently equipped with body cameras, but that their patrol car was equipped with a dash camera. 

Commissioner Outlaw says that dozens of officers had been assigned to two separate car meet details prior to the weekend. She added that despite only one arrest being made during the chaos, more arrests could be coming.

"We all want to make very, crystally clear, if anyone was participating in this activity, do not think for one moment that you got away with it," Outlaw said. "We are not done."

Both troopers who were injured have been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.