Officials: Drag racers vandalize police cars as altercations erupt in Fishtown and North Philly
FISHTOWN - Illegal drag races in two different sections of Philadelphia both came to a hostile end as officers and racers engaged in an altercation that left several police cars damaged.
Police say a large crowd of people, dirt bikes and vehicles were blocking the entry and exit of the Rivers Casino parking lot Sunday morning.
Several vehicles were also witnessed performing illegal doughnuts in the middle of Delaware Avenue.
When police attempted to disperse the "aggressive" crowd, they surrounded the officers, jumped on top of their car and banged on the windows, according to authorities.
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Police say responding officers incited further reaction from the crowd, as they pounded on the police vehicle and flattened its tired.
The crowd finally dispersed with their vehicles in all directions as more officers arrived at the scene. It is unclear how many police vehicles responded.
A third police vehicle was vandalized in a similar incident on the 400 block of North 5th Street, in North Philly, that same morning, police say.
No injuries were reported in either incident, and no arrests have been announced.