Updated: April 10, 2:30 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An ATV rider intentionally struck and injured a police officer in South Philadelphia, authorities say.
Philadelphia police say, just before 7:30 p.m. an officer on a marked motorcycle traveling on northbound I-95 came across more than 50 ATVs near the Walt Whitman Bridge.
One of the ATVs stood out, police say. A red quad, driven by a man in black clothes and a ski mask, broke away from the group and exited at the Walt Whitman Bridge ramp. The police officer, who was driving a motorcycle, saw smoke coming from the rear of the ATV. Suspecting mechanical issues, the officer followed him as he moved onto the Walt Whitman Bridge off-ramp to Packer Avenue.
That’s when, police say, the ATV operator intentionally veered into the officer’s motorbike, causing him to lose control and crash. The ATV operator fled and remains at large.
The officer injured his right foot and suffered bruises on various parts of his body, but he is currently in stable condition at a nearby hospital.
Later on, police followed a similar-looking quad that was making multiple traffic violations on Richmond Street, but it got away.
Another officer then reported seeing a red ATV on Erdrick Street in Frankford, but investigators determined it was not the same vehicle involved in the incident on I-95.
An investigation is ongoing.