Officers swarm vehicle as police chase ends in Philadelphia; suspects in custody
Video from Chopper 6 showed the suspect speeding down residential streets.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Chopper 6 was overhead as a police chase came to a dramatic end on Wednesday night.
The incident began in North Philadelphia and came to an end on Janney Street in the Port Richmond section.
"They were desperate to get away," said Chief Inspector Scott Small with the Philadelphia Police Department.
Chopper 6 followed the police chase of the blue Dodge Charger for about 15 minutes.
Police said a 28-year-old woman was behind the wheel with no intent to stop. They said a 27-year-old man who had just committed an armed robbery was in the passenger seat.
Officers tried to block the charging car as the woman weaved and dodged through traffic and sped past cars during rush hour just before 6 p.m.
Eventually, she got stuck behind a vehicle on the 3100 block of Janney Street. She slammed into the back of the car in front of her, giving police the opportunity to swarm in.
"Once they realized they couldn't drive any further because of the vehicle they rear-ended, the doors were locked, and the officer used his ASP (baton) to break the window to get these individuals out," said Small.
See Chopper 6 Vide of the Police Chase:
Police say it all started with an armed robbery in North Philadelphia on the 2900 block of N. 5th Street when an employee of a pharmacy left through the back door.
"That's when she was met by the perpetrator who had a gun and forced her back in, point-of-gun, and then forcefully grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground, " said Small.
Police say he stole around $5,000 worth of prescription narcotics and jumped into the getaway car driven by the woman, but not before the drug store employees got a good look at the two and notified police.
Authorities say the suspects in the car were throwing narcotics out of the window as they were being chased.
Two drug store employees were able to identify the pair in the car to police.
The woman and man inside the vehicle were arrested.
Police say the suspects have had previous run-ins with the law. The male suspect was wanted for a shooting that happened last month in Port Richmond.
The two are currently being held in police custody.
Police plan to search the vehicle involved in this incident.
They also hope to locate a gun that was thrown out of the vehicle during the chase.
