Man killed by Pennsylvania State Police on I-95 after allegedly hitting two troopers
A major drag-racing incident on I-95 ended in a Pennsylvania State Police trooper shooting and killing a Delaware County man who reportedly hit two officers with his car.
An 18-year-old Delaware County man was shot and killed by police after he hit two Pennsylvania State Police troopers with his vehicle on Interstate 95 near Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia early Sunday morning, officials said.
Anthony Allegrini Jr. of Glen Mills was pronounced dead on the scene by Philadelphia Fire Department medics. The troopers suffered minor injuries, according to police.
» LIVE UPDATES: Police, Philly DA investigating after a trooper killed a man on I-95; man’s parents say he would ‘never intentionally hurt anyone’
At around 3:30 a.m., two state troopers responding to reports of street racing and shots fired were struck by Allegrini’s vehicle after they attempted to approach it and it “failed to yield,” according to a statement issued by State Police. That’s when one officer fired his weapon, striking Allegrini, according to the statement.
An Inquirer photographer witnessed a bloodied body on the ground beside a State Police SUV after the shooting.
When those troopers had first arrived at the scene, they found “numerous vehicles and pedestrians illegally blocking the roadway” near Penn’s Landing, and automobiles were performing tricks for the assembled audience, including “burnouts” and “drifting,” according to the police statement. They were also aware of a report of shots fired in the area, police said.
The shooting came at the end of an evening when police received multiple reports of large drag-racing incidents in North and Northeast Philadelphia.
Just before midnight, there were reports of “a large crowd and hundreds of vehicles” blocking streets around Torresdale and Cottman Avenues, and that an officer was surrounded by a crowd that was also jumping on her vehicle.
Just after 1 a.m., more than 100 drag racers and a large crowd were reported in the area of Poquessing and Bustleton Avenues.
It is unclear if those incidents were related to the later reports of drag racing that drew state police to I-95 and led to the shooting of Allegrini. The State Police news release did note that “similar incidents had been reported earlier in the evening with Pennsylvania State Police requested to assist the agencies handling.”
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is involved in the shooting investigation, and offered no further comment. A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson said no additional information was available.
Allegrini’s girlfriend, Reagan Hocking, told NBC10 that he was attending a “car meet.”
”He loves all cars,” she said. “He drove an Audi S4. He loves it. He pays for it. I do agree that might not be the most safe thing to do in the world. But what’s not safe is a cop showing up and killing an innocent life.”
In response to Hocking’s statement, state police said: “This incident remains under active investigation. There’s nothing additional at this time.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.