A Point Breeze man accused of running over a Center City chef in July will be tried for murder
Police say Kareem Welton stole two cars during an hours-long crime spree in July, killing one pedestrian and critically injuring another.
A Point Breeze man who police say waged an hours-long crime spree across two counties, killing one pedestrian with a stolen car and critically injuring another, has now been charged with murder. Prosecutors announced the charges Tuesday.
Kareem Welton, 41, has been charged with first-, second-, and third-degree murder in the death of Adriana Moreno-Sanchez, 31, a chef whom prosecutors say he intentionally struck and ran over in July after she finished her late-night shift at Steak 48, a restaurant in Center City.
He remained in custody at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, denied bail. Welton’s attorney, Roland B. Jarvis, did not return a request for comment.
Welton already faced aggravated assault and attempted murder charges for allegedly running down a runner in Collegeville with a second stolen car hours after he allegedly struck Moreno-Sanchez. That victim, whom police did not identify, suffered severe injuries to his spine, ribs, and legs, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in Welton’s arrest.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele will be prosecuting both cases, he said in a statement Tuesday, since his office had already filed charges against Welton in the Collegeville crash.
“Welton’s criminal behavior left many individuals and families traumatized and grieving,” Steele said. “We will prosecute all of his crimes together to accurately portray the egregiousness of this crime spree.”
Police in Philadelphia were first notified about Welton at 10:43 p.m. on July 27, when a security guard at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital reported that someone attempted to steal her bicycle, according to the affidavit. A half-hour later, one of Welton’s neighbors called police to say he had stolen her Chevrolet Malibu, which she had left running outside her home.
Welton then stole a friend’s Maltese-poodle mix, named Legend, before driving the Malibu to Center City, where he struck a motorcyclist on Broad Street near Lombard and sped off, the affidavit said. Not long after, he encountered Moreno-Sanchez and a friend walking down 15th Street.
Witnesses said, and surveillance footage confirmed, that Welton carefully drove the Malibu onto the sidewalk and then sharply accelerated, striking Moreno-Sanchez, according to the affidavit. He then turned around and ran her over as she lay prone. He stopped briefly to forcibly pull off her chef’s coat, which he put on before driving away, according to the affidavit.
Moreno-Sanchez was pronounced dead not long after at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, according to police.
Hours later, still wearing Moreno-Sanchez’s jacket and still carrying the stolen dog, Welton carjacked a woman outside of Jefferson Hospital and drove off in her Acura sedan, the affidavit said. Police notified surrounding counties that Welton had driven away from the city, toward Montgomery County, after striking a bicyclist in Manayunk.
Eventually, Welton was spotted in Collegeville, and an officer there attempted to pull him over. A chase ensued. As he was being pursued, Welton intentionally swerved into oncoming traffic to strike and critically injure a jogger, the affidavit said.
Police were finally able to take Welton into custody after he parked the stolen Acura at an Exxon station in Collegeville and attempted to steal a bicycle from a man standing nearby, the affidavit said.
A toxicology screening after his arrest revealed that Welton tested positive for marijuana and phencyclidine, a powerful dissociative hallucinogenic commonly referred to as PCP.