Hit-and-run driver strikes police officer in Tacony, police say
The 44-year-old officer was in stable condition and a 42-year-old man was in custody after allegedly fleeing the scene.
A 44-year-old police officer was hospitalized in stable condition after she was injured by an alleged hit-and-run motorist suspected of driving under the influence Wednesday night in Philadelphia’s Tacony section, police said.
Around 8 p.m., the uniformed 15th Police District officer and her partner were completing a vehicle stop on the 6700 block of Torresdale Avenue and was about to enter the driver’s side of her patrol vehicle when she was hit by a black Chevrolet Malibu heading north, said Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.
The force of the hit propelled the officer about 10 feet, Small said. She was taken by medics to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital with head and body injuries. She was conscious but shaken by the incident, Small said.
Police officers responding to the hit-and-run saw a vehicle matching the description run a red light on the 7300 block of Torresdale and made a U-turn to follow it, Small said. The Malibu then stopped and the driver tried to flee but was apprehended.
The 42-year-old man, whose name was not released, was suspected of being under the influence, Small said.
The Malibu was missing its driver’s-side rearview mirror, which was found at the accident scene, and had other front-end damage, Small said.