Philly Officer Charged In Off-Duty Crash That Killed Pedestrian
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia police officer is charged with striking and killing a man while speeding in his personal car along Cottman Avenue while off-duty last January.
Officer Adam Soto faces homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the January 31 death of 50-year-old Danny Dimitri.
Police say his car was approaching 90 miles-per-hour at Cottman and Algon Avenues in a school zone right outside Northeast High School.
Dimitri's sister, Cheryl, says her brother was crossing the street to get a bus to his job.
"They stole him from us. I'm sorry, they murdered my brother. They really did," she said. "When you're driving that fast, 85-90 miles an hour, you hit somebody, to me that is homicide, it's murder."
And the victim's family wants more people charged.
A second off-duty officer, Tony Forest, who was believed to be driving a second car, operating at a "reckless speed," according to police, has been suspended, as well.
Cheryl says witnesses believe the two cars were racing at the time her brother was struck.
"They knew that driving that fast could kill somebody," she said. "And, unfortunately, it had to be my brother. And my only sibling, who I miss every day."
Forest has not been charged, but the District Attorney's Office says the investigation is still open.