Officer struck by vehicle as police disperse crowd of more than 500 people on Broad Street
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A Philadelphia police officer has a broken ankle and several other officers were injured after responding to a large crowd on Broad Street in North Philadelphia early Sunday morning.
Officials said a group of more than 500 people and vehicles gathered on the street near the Sunoco gas station in the 1300 block of Broad Street just before 2 a.m.
A cell phone video showed two people hanging out of a car doing doughnuts at Broad and Thompson Streets in North Philadelphia, while two other people stood on the street recording the dangerous stunt.
One officer sustained a broken ankle after being struck by a vehicle before it fled the scene. The injured officer was taken to Jefferson University Hospital where he was treated.
"I wish the police officers who were injured last night a speedy recovery, and I am as always very grateful to the officers who put themselves in harm's way every day to protect the public and keep the peace," Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement to CBS News Philadelphia. "Car meets are disruptive, reckless, and often dangerous, which is why the Police Department has assembled dedicated teams of officers to monitor and address these events. I'm thankful officers were able to successfully disperse last night's large meetup without any further injury."
"This type of criminal behavior will not be tolerated, and if you were at these scenes yesterday - yes- there were cameras everywhere," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw wrote on Twitter. "Detectives are going through footage, and we will make arrests where warranted. Those involved will be held accountable!"
A couple other officers also sustained injuries, but were treated and released, officials said.
"This entire street was covered with kids and there was racing going on and people were doing wheelies in the intersection and it grew from there," said Noah Prabhakar, who watched the whole thing from his balcony.
Residents say it all started as a party on the rooftop of an apartment building, then someone pulled the fire alarm. The crowd then migrated to a gas station next door.
"People were trying to get in. A lot of people were here. I heard it was the party of the year," Amiya, who declined to give her last name, said.
The situation got out of control when the crowd began blocking the intersection. Nearby residents called 911.
Dozens of police officers arrived to break up the crowd. Cell phone video shows several people being detained.
"I saw one of the officers get pushed down and then the other officers were surrounding him and they were waiting for the ambulance to come and they loaded him into the ambulance," Prabhakar said.
Police said the incident on North Broad was one of five incidents officers responded to involving large crowds of people and vehicles.
The first was around 8 p.m. Saturday in the 5700 block of Tacony Street and another happened at 8:50 p.m. at the Philadelphia Mills Mall. Police also broke up a group around 1:30 a.m. Sunday near Halderman and Roosevelt Boulevard, officials said.
No one was injured during the earlier incidents, officials added.
"What's really sad is the city is starting to become accustomed to this," John McNesby, the president of FOP Lodge #5, said.
McNesby says incidents like these are a challenge for what he says is a short-staffed department.
"We're 1,400, 1,500 officers down," he said. "If we start to get them numbers back and increase the roles of the Philadelphia Police Department, we'll be able to handle things like this."
Police are still searching for the driver of the car that hit the officer.
Just last month, Philadelphia City Council approved legislation to crack down on illegal street racing and car meet-ups.
