Kareem Alleyne was released on Tuesday morning after his overnight arraignment on charges of homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter. His bail had been set at $150,000.
The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. Sunday on Musgrave Street by East Meehan Avenue.
Police say Alleyne hit the 32-year-old officer, Marc Brady, an 8-year veteran of the force and claimed it was an accident. But, police say, Alleyne hit Brady intentionally.
The two men did know each other and, sources say, there had been trouble in the past.
Those sources said Officer Brady had a history of problems with a woman who lives on the block, the mother of six of his nine children. Police say Kareem Alleyne is her boyfriend, and he and Officer Brady had gotten into arguments in the past.
Sources say Alleyne had been at the woman's home Sunday night. He told police when he was leaving that he saw Officer Brady pedaling up the block.
Alleyne told police he wanted to avoid a confrontation with Officer Brady, with whom he'd had problems in the past, so he hit the accelerator to get away fast but lost control and accidentally hit the officer.
He was taken into custody immediately.
Police said there was bad blood between the two men and described the collision as intentional.
"We don't believe it was planned," said Philadelphia Police Captain James Clark. "The officer was on his bike. He was en route to his ex-girlfriend's house. Mr. Alleyne had just left there. It was a chance encounter. They saw each other. With that, he directed his vehicle in the off-duty officer's direction, striking him and ultimately killing him."
In 2010, Brady was off-duty when he was shot in the upper thigh on the very same block. At the time, investigators said the shooting stemmed from an argument over a woman. The shooter was never caught.
The officer had been on desk duty in recent months and under investigation by internal affairs for domestic disputes with his ex-girlfriend.
"In terms of those investigations," said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, "obviously with the death of the officer there will be nothing proceeding in that regard."
Neighbors were shocked to hear of another officer losing his life.
Nearby resident Althea Banks says, "You think of the other two that just happened. Almost similar, like bikes, car accident, so it's a shame. It's definitely a shame."