Man critical after carjacking, shooting in West Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A man is in critical condition after he was shot and his car was stolen in West Philadelphia Monday night, according to police.
The carjacking happened just before 11:30 p.m. on the 5400 block of Spring Street.
Police say they arrived to a report of gunshots and found a man, 23, in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and placed in critical condition. Four spent shell casings were found on the scene, Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Police say the shooter fled in the victim's black Dodge Charger with red stripes on the side.
The crime happened days after District Attorney Larry Krasner and other officials announced a new unit to prosecute carjackings, which increased more than fivefold between 2019 and 2022.
"There is a specific violent component and a selfishness that comes with a carjacking," assistant DA Helen Park said at a news conference about the new unit last week. "And it truly puts everybody's sense of security and safety in danger, if not eradicating it completely."
"We're seeing more and more and more that when there is a fatal shooting or a nonfatal shooting, it is done in a car that does not belong to the people who are doing the shooting. It's part of how they hide their identities," Krasner said.
The DA's office says the task force will focus on adult offenders and minors.
