3 in custody after carjacking ends in fiery crash in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Three men are in custody after police claim they stole a Dodge Charger and crashed it into an SUV and then into a utility pole Tuesday morning.
A man was driving the Charger on the 2800 block of Shipley Road in Northeast Philadelphia when three men wielding guns approached him and stole the car, Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Minutes later, police were discussing the incident on the radio when a 7th District sergeant on patrol saw a Charger heading south on Castor Avenue. The sergeant then started chasing the vehicle, and it crashed into a Honda CR-V, knocking it onto its side.
Fortunately, the 44-year-old driver in the Honda was not hurt.
The Charger then slammed into a utility pole and burst into flames around 3 a.m. at Castor and Levick Avenues in Oxford Circle.
Police say two of the three suspected carjackers ran from the Charger after the crash. A sergeant helped pull the remaining suspect from the burning Dodge, likely saving his life.
The other two men were eventually caught and the Charger driver was reunited with his vehicle.
The suspect who was pulled from the Charger was critical at an area hospital.
Police found three guns in the incident, and ammunition was found in the car.
