Philadelphia officer injured after being struck by ATV rider; suspect remains at large

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police said Wednesday morning that the ATV rider officers took into custody on Tuesday night after an officer was hit was not involved in the crime.

The crash happened around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday near the Packer Avenue off-ramp on Interstate 95 North.

The officer, who was riding a dirtbike, works in the city's ATV unit. Police say the unit was out working due to the warm weather.

After the officer was struck, police followed the ATV to the city's Frankford neighborhood.

An ATV was recovered on the 5100 block of Erdrick Street and someone was taken into custody.

Officers said further investigation determined that the ATV and the driver in question were not involved in the crash. However, police discovered that person had an open warrant on an unrelated domestic incident.

Police say the injured officer was escorted to Jefferson University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities identified the officer as a six-year veteran of the department assigned to the 12th district.

Philadelphia police, including members of the ATV unit, visited the officer at Jefferson University Hospital Tuesday night.

They say this incident is a reminder of the importance of cracking down on illegal dirtbikes and ATVs in the city.

"We have a strong initiative in the Philadelphia Police Department to combat this problem in the city, and nowhere is immune. In any section of the city, you can see ATVs and dirtbikes riding recklessly, endangering the public. We're taking some proactive steps to curb this and eliminate this from happening," said Inspector George Kappe with Philadelphia police.

The investigation is ongoing.