One person was killed while five people, including an off-duty Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy, were injured after a speeding car crashed into an SUV in Norristown.
Officials say Norristown Police officers responded to a report of suspicious activity around 5:30 a.m. Thursday on Buttonwood Street. When they arrived they spotted a white Hyundai sedan with five people inside fleeing at a high speed, investigators said.
Police tried to obtain the vehicle's registration but the driver continued to speed away before they could, according to officials. Police say the vehicle then ran a red light on Hamilton Street at Main Street before it collided with a black Chevrolet Suburban driven by a Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy who was off-duty at the time.
"It was like they interlocked and they spun together," said Stacy Angelo, an employee at Alfredo's Restaurant who witnessed the crash. "They spun about four times in the intersection."
Angelo ran to the deputy's vehicle moments after the crash.
"I asked him, 'Are you a cop?' I saw his bullet proof vest. He said he was a sheriff. He told me to call 911," Angelo said.
One person inside the Hyundai died in the crash. The four other occupants were taken to Paoli Hospital. Surveillance video shows one of the men trying to run from the car but collapsing near a fountain. Responding officers placed the man in custody.
"I was really confused," said Joia Barros, who lives near the scene of the crash. "I thought I was dreaming when I heard the bang and when I saw it everybody just told me what happened."
The deputy, who was the only one inside his SUV, was also treated at the hospital and later released.
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Police have not yet released the name of the person who died pending the notification of next of kin. They also have not yet announced any charges though the investigation is ongoing. Detectives took pictures of the vehicles and also recovered a safe and other evidence from the Hyundai.
Officials say the Hyundai was not being pursued by police before it collided with the off-duty deputy's SUV.
Main Street was closed for more than eight hours after the crash.
