It happened around 2:36 p.m. Wednesday near 18th and Windrim streets.
The two male officers were in the front of an unmarked car and the female officer was in the back.
The collision destroyed the fronts of many cars and seriously injured everyone involved in the crash on North Windrim Avenue in Logan.
"I heard a boom, and I ran out the back door," said Tisha Brooks. Tisha Brooks rushed to help the victims and soon realized three undercover police officers were in the unmarked green car; two men and one woman. Witnesses tell Action News that the officers were trying to go through a red light at the intersection, when they turned on their sirens."The driver was bleeding from the head, and the lady was in shock the one who was in the back seat, and I didn't see the one in the passenger seat move at all," said Brooks.
"We had three plain clothes officers en route back to their headquarters at the 39th Police District. When they reached the intersection they were struck by another motorist which forced the police car into a telephone pole," said Dept. Comm. Thomas Wright.No word on exactly what the officers were responding to.
Both cars spun out of control in the intersection causing the officers to crash into a pole while the other driver hit a fence. Firefighters had to extricate the officers from their car and all three were taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center for treatment, where a parade of Philadelphia Police Department's top brass rushed to check on the officers.Commissioner Charles Ramsey was also on the scene as investigators worked to fighter out what caused the accident.
Residents say a lot of accidents have happened on the same corner. Officer Ray Heim suffered some of the worst injuries including head injuries and a broken femur which required surgery. Action News has learned the cops are undercover drug officers, and Heim served on a tactical unit that follows crime patterns in the 39th Police District. His partners will spend the night in Einstein for observation. Despite the violent crash, the second driver was treated for non-threatening injuries. Find out about Breaking News as it happens. Sign up for 6abc.com Breaking News Alerts.
