SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A Delaware County man, who officials say is wanted for shooting a woman in Media last month, led police on a chase Monday night that included gun battles and a stolen police SUV.
It started around 7 p.m., when authorities say officers spotted 41-year-old Arthur Disanto Jr. on a motorcycle near Chester. Pennsylvania State Police had been searching for him. According to court documents, Disanto is wanted in Delaware County for attempted murder.
He fled, leading police on a chase across Delaware County, before officials say he exchanged gunfire with police right across the Philadelphia line at 84th and Lindburgh.
He stole an unmarked SUV belonging to the Folcroft Borough Police Department, and the pursuit continued across the Delaware River into New Jersey. Disanto wound up in Deptford, N.J., where authorities say he ditched the SUV after taking a SWAT helmet and vest that were inside.
Police say there were more shots fired, and Disanto and a police officer were shot. Police say Disanto was wearing the helmet and vest he took. The injuries are not serious, and both are expected to physically recover.
Police took Disanto into custody around midnight, and he remains at Cooper Hospital.
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The lights and sirens of that police chase broke the silence of a quiet part of Deptford Township where Disanto was shot and taken into custody.
Harry and Cynthia live in the area of County House Road and Oak Avenue, a quiet neighborhood off the main road. Harry said police sent an alert to residents' phones, saying a man was on the run and to make sure their doors were locked.
Cynthia was asleep, but Harry got the message.
"I didn’t think it was scary enough [to wake her]," Harry said.
"So I make sure I go to the garage and make sure the door is closed and the door from the garage into our house was closed. The back door was closed and the front door was closed. And I just walked around and checked the windows."
Harry says the caravan of police cars he then saw rolling down the road looked pretty chaotic.
"And I looked at it, and you see the lights are flashing all over. One guy was driving behind the police, and he said, "This is real!" And there was a whole bunch of police cars just driving up and down the highways."
Disanto is accused of shooting a woman in the back with a shotgun on July 3 inside her home at the Riddle Glen apartment complex just off Route 1.
The complaint says Disanto and the woman were arguing about money, when he punched her, dragged her around by her hair, tased her, then shot her with a 12-gauge shotgun while she was on the floor.