Last updated on Aug. 13, 9 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Police in Delaware County are crediting a detailed description and a tag reader system for the quick apprehension of an armed man who allegedly fired 13 bullets into a woman's car on West Chester Pike during Monday’s afternoon rush while her 10-year-old nephew was in the back seat.
It happened just before 3:30 p.m. Monday on the eastbound side of West Chester Pike, near the Blue Route, in Havertown.
Haverford Township Deputy Police Chief Joseph Hagan says a woman in her 40s, driving a Jeep Cherokee, had just exited I-476 onto the eastbound side of West Chester Pike, and traffic was moving slowly. Near the intersection with Lawrence Road, she said, a black Lincoln SUV hit the passenger side of her car, and she felt as though the two vehicles were “stuck together.”
As she put her car in park, the suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Sean Moses of Drexel Hill, according to police, pulled his car in front of the woman’s Jeep at an angle and started shooting into her vehicle.
"She had someone looking out for her. She is lucky to be here today,” said Hagan.
Police say he fired at least 13 times, while her 10-year-old nephew was lying down in the back seat. The windshield, hood and headlights were peppered with bullets. The woman was hit in the arm by glass or shrapnel. Her nephew was not injured.
“The accident occurred right at the point of the shooting. From our investigation, it appears that some type of road rage took place prior and, according to the victim, no words were exchanged,” said Hagan.
"Thirteen shots into a vehicle just because some type of road rage is just to me — I can't image it. It’s very shocking"
He said Moses then fled the scene in the SUV. And the woman was able to provide a 911 dispatcher with a description of the suspect, his vehicle and a license plate number.
"She was very calm, cool and collected," said Hagan.
Police say her descriptions and Radnor Township police’s license plate reader system enabled authorities to apprehend Moses in about 15 minutes.
"We were able to stop that vehicle at State Road and West Chester Pike in Upper Darby Township,” said Radnor Police Sgt. Shant Bedrossian. “The subject was taken into custody without incident and a firearm was located in the front seat of the vehicle."
Officials said Moses did have a permit to carry a gun.
Moses is facing eight charges, including two counts of attempted murder in the first degree and aggravated assault. His bail was set at $1 million cash. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 30.