A high-speed police pursuit from the suburbs into Philadelphia could have ended so much worse and could help lead police to a Montgomery County car theft ring.
A teenage girl had just taken out the trash at the corner of Woolston Avenue and E Walnut Lane in Philly’s West Oak Lane neighborhood late Monday night when the silver BMW SUV – police said was stolen from Whitpain Township – slammed into a car with a mother and baby inside, a wall and a tree.
The wreck left trash, bricks and other debris all over homeowner Enae Drakeford’s front yard.
"See how the trash is knocked up on the sidewalk? If she had been a couple of seconds longer out here they would have hit her and heaven knows what would have happened," said Drakeford.
"I was scared," said 13-year-old Malaysia Elliott, Drakeford’s niece.
Police arrested two men, including one who was still inside the crashed car who was hospitalized for his injuries. They caught up to the other suspect a few blocks away after he ran away. [[406236426, C]]
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
The chase had begun in along Route 309 in Springfield Township before ending in West Oak Lane in Philadelphia, said Whitpain Township Police.
The incident began around 11:35 p.m. almost 10 miles away from the crash scene as Whitpain officers responded to a car theft in progress along the 400 block of Lewis Lane in Ambler, said Whitpain Police.
Whitpain Police put out a vehicle description to surrounding departments and a Springfield Township officer spotted the stolen SUV going south on Route 309. The high-speed chase continued into Philadelphia where the SUV crashed, said Whitpain Police.
Officers from Whitemarsh and Springfield townships, as well as Philadelphia Police, responded to the scene. Officers on the scene said they believe the two men are possibly involved in a larger luxury car theft ring in Montgomery County.
Both suspects are expected to be arraigned, said police.
