Philly officer struck by driver in stolen vehicle: officials

FELTONVILLE - Frightening moments in Hunting Park after a police officer and a police cruiser were struck by someone driving a stolen vehicle.

The scene unfolded just after 9:30 p.m. on Hunting Park Avenue, near Front Street, officials said.

Two officers were following a vehicle they knew to be stolen, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said, as they ran the license plate. The vehicle was reportedly stolen in an armed carjacking from a Northeast neighborhood Sunday.

As the vehicle approached the intersection of Hunting Park and Front, it was slowed to a stop by traffic, Small stated.

The officer on the passenger side of the cruiser approached the vehicle, at which point, the driver put the vehicle in reverse, hitting the cruiser and then turning right, hitting the officer and causing him to roll over the front hood of the stolen vehicle.

The stolen vehicle then took off, hitting another vehicle in the getaway attempt. The officer fell off the stolen vehicle, at that point.

Chief Inspector Small said the stolen vehicle was last seen heading south on Front Street at Hunting Park Avenue.

The officer’s partner rushed him to Temple University Hospital where he was treated for injuries to his arm and knee. He is in stable condition.

The stolen vehicle was recovered unoccupied on the 1000 block of Ruscomb, in Philly’s Logan neighborhood.

Chief Inspector Small stated that a man was in the driver's seat when the officer approached it, and a woman was in the front passenger seat. Detectives are processing the scene and detailing the vehicle for fingerprints and DNA.