By Aubrey Whelan and Michael Boren
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — Four police officers were injured by a motorist in Olney in a protracted incident that ended when police fired into the vehicle, leaving the driver in critical condition.
The incident began around 2:15 p.m. at Ninth Street and Olney Avenue when police responded to a call for a car accident, Deputy Commissioner Richard J. Ross said. The car had crashed into a wall, and officers pulled the driver out.
The driver, who appeared “incoherent,” then tried to fight the officers, Ross said. A violent struggle ensued, he said, and the driver got back into the car and struck three officers with it.
The vehicle later traveled to Stenton and Ogontz Avenues, where it sideswiped two police cars, one of them unmarked, and hit another officer on foot.
When the vehicle began speeding toward other officers, two officers fired at it.
Ross said he believed the driver was struck in the chest.
Angela Campbell, who said she is the driver’s girlfriend, identified him from the home they share as Rudolph Keitt. At Einstein Medical Center, a young woman who identified herself as Keitt’s daughter said he was prone to seizures.
Mayor Nutter said that the driver “used a car as a weapon against our officers,” and that he had spoken to the officers.
“They’re pretty banged up but in good spirits,” Nutter said.
At Einstein, a dozen other officers had gathered outside the emergency room. A police SUV that appeared to be damaged in the pursuit was also cordoned off by police tape. It had what appeared to be blood on the rear bumper.
A video obtained by NBC10 of the incident showed an officer trying to pull the driver out of the vehicle as the driver backed up. The officer then fell backward to the ground. The doors on the other side of the vehicle were also open at the time.
Copyright 2015 The Philadelphia Inquirer