Illegal Car Meetups Lead to Attacks on Philadelphia Police, Causing Major Damage
Large meetups took over the streets in Philadelphia, PA, on Saturday and Sunday. The meetups scattered throughout nearly every city corner, from Northeast to Southwest. They targeted officers while attendees built bonfires in the streets, set off fireworks, used a flamethrower, and had hundreds of cars drag racing and doing doughnuts in intersections.
One of the most significant incidents unfolded at City Hall around 4 a.m. on Sunday, where over 100 cars gathered. Five police cars were damaged in this meetup alone, with windshields shattered and tires slashed.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported:
Multiple Philadelphia police officers were attacked and their vehicles damaged while trying to break up nearly a dozen illegal car meetups throughout the city late Saturday into Sunday morning, police said, causing mayhem and rattling the nerves of residents in nearby neighborhoods.—An officer responding to an assist call nearby was hurt after his vehicle was struck by a car fleeing that meetup, police said.—Deputy Police Commissioner Francis Healy said at a news conference Sunday that officials believe the aggressive behavior was in retaliation to the department’s increased enforcement against the meetups in recent months.Investigators were poring over video and evidence, working to identify people involved, he said.”We have your picture. We’re coming for you. If you think you got away last night, you didn’t,” Healy said of the drivers. “We’re coming with search warrants, and we’re coming with arrest warrants, so don’t think we’re going to lay down and allow this to happen in our city.”
On NBC10 Philadelphia:
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