Driver wanted after intentionally striking officer, injuring 2 in North Philadelphia, police say

Police are looking for a driver accused of intentionally striking an officer with a vehicle in North Philadelphia Friday night, police say.

Officers first responded to 17th and Norris streets just after 10 p.m. for reports of a person with a gun. After arriving, police located a black Kia with a California license plate near 19th and Norris streets that matched the description of the vehicle connected to the initial call, Inspector D F Pace said.

The Kia initially stopped before suddenly reversing into a police cruiser. As the driver attempted to take off, they struck another police vehicle and hit an officer who was conducting the traffic stop, Pace said.

Authorities say the impact threw the 35-year-old officer onto the vehicle's windshield before he was thrown over the top. He had glass lodged in an eye and a possible broken or dislocated shoulder. He was taken to Temple University Hospital where he underwent X-Ray examinations.

A police sergeant also was injured as the driver fled, suffering multiple bruises and lacerations. The sergeant was also taken to Temple Hospital, Pace siad.

Officers found the Kia abandoned just before 10:45 p.m. on the 200 block of West Winona Street in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood. The vehicle was heavily damaged, police said.

"That vehicle tells a story," Pace said. "It's a stark reminder of the risks officers take each and every day in an effort to keep the people of Philadelphia as safe as they possibly can."

Police are still looking for the driver, who was last seen wearing a white hat and white shirt. Police said officers' body-worn cameras captured the incident, Pace said.

The Kia is registered to an individual in Fontana, California, who also has a P.O. box in the Lehigh Valley. Police said it remains unclear if the registered owner was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident, Pace said.