2 teenagers in custody after armed carjacking, chase and crash in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- An armed holdup in Philadelphia led to a police chase and crash.

It all started shortly before 11 p.m. Monday in the 2100 block of Longshore Avenue when two women were carjacked in the city's Oxford Circle section.

Adicsa Garcia said she was outside her home talking with a friend when they were approached by the teens. She said one of them asked her for the time while the other pulled out a gun.

"The guy in front walked up and asked me what time it was, while the other one pulled out a gun. He then put the gun to my chest and said, 'If you move, I will kill you,'" Garcia recalled.

According to Garcia, the suspects then took her friend's car keys and drove off in her Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Within minutes, officers spotted a vehicle matching the description and license plate.

When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the driver sped off, according to police.

The chase continued until the stolen vehicle collided with the driver's side of a pickup truck near Adams and Torresdale avenues in Frankford. The impact left both vehicles damaged.

Police said the two suspects - ages 16 and 18 - ran from the crash scene. One was caught during the foot chase. The second fled into a backyard and became entangled in barbed wire.

"One juvenile was caught while he was being chased," Chief Inspector Scott Small said. "The second juvenile ran into a backyard of a private residence and actually got tangled up and stuck in barbed wire so the police were able to - they had to get him out from the barb wire; he had some cuts and scrapes, but he is okay."

The pickup truck driver was also unharmed, though Small said he was shaken up.

Garcia and her friend later identified the teens as the suspects, police said. Officers recovered a gun from inside the stolen Jeep.

Garcia said she is grateful that officers quickly arrested the suspects. Despite what she endured, she said she feels sympathy for them and their families.

"They are just kids. I think the parents should be held accountable, too. It makes me sad because we are mothers too. I sincerely hope for the best for them," she said.

The suspect who was stuck in the barbed wire was found with only one shoe. The matching sneaker was also found inside the stolen Jeep.

Police identified the 18-year-old as Richard West.

Both suspects are being charged with robbery, aggravated assault, carjacking, fleeing police, and several related offenses.