PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with last weekend’s illegal car meetup near City Avenue, during which several Philadelphia police officers were injured.
Around 11:15 p.m. on Saturday, police responded to an illegal car meetup in the Target parking lot on Monument Road, just off City Avenue.
As they arrived, drivers started to flee erratically. A police lieutenant recognized a red Chevy Camaro with Florida plates that officials say has been consistently present at these illegal meetups.
Cops chased the driver — later identified as 22-year-old Quron Banks — down I-76 but he escaped.
However, around 2 a.m., two officers assigned to the car meet detail saw the same Camaro in North Philadelphia, on Master Street. As they pulled up and walked toward the car, Banks reversed and peeled out, hitting a 36-year-old officer. She fell to the ground and hit her head.
The other cop shot at the Camaro’s passenger side window as the car fled, and officers pursued it south on I-95.
Police said Banks made two U-turns in standstill traffic, hitting civilian cars and a police vehicle. Police stopped the chase at that point. Upper Darby police eventually found the Camaro, which is now in Philadelphia police custody.
The 36-year-old officer has since been released from the hospital.
Police found Banks in a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck, in stable condition.
He is now facing numerous charges, including aggravated assault and fleeing from police.
Internal Affairs is investigating the police-involved shooting. The 35-year-old officer who fired at Banks is on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation, per police protocol.