Women fleeing traffic stop accused of shoplifting in Radnor

RADNOR TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- A minor traffic stop led a Radnor police officer to three women accused of shoplifting at a HomeGoods store on Lancaster Avenue, but not before their getaway car flipped upside down as they tried to flee.

Chopper 6 HD captured the dramatic scene around 2 p.m. Friday on Newtown Road near Abrahams Lane in Radnor.

Only moments later, Officer Brian Bell stopped the car on Conestoga Road for a suspended vehicle registration. And that's when things got crazy.

Radnor Police Supt. Bill Colarulo said, "When he stopped the vehicle, the vehicle took off. The officer never went into pursuit. The officer did what he was supposed to do according to policy, and he notified his supervisor."

Moments later, officers received word that the car had struck a black SUV on Newtown Road and flipped over with the three women inside.

The women have been identified as 18-year-old Zamaya Nelson, 27-year-old Jennifer Teague, and 25-year-old Cherisse Todd. All are from Philadelphia.

Police say one of the women got out of the upside car and tried to carjack another motorist that was passing by.

"The woman did try to enter another young woman's car that had a child," Supt. Colarulo said.

But then, police say she got out of the car and made a run for it.

Lola Quigley says her mother saw the woman hiding in their wooded property.

"She got luckily one of the cops' attention and pointed to the girl, and they got her so they cuffed her," Quigley said.

Police noticed a lot of merchandise that spilled out of the car onto the roadway. They would soon learn the items were lots of bed sheets that were reportedly stolen from HomeGoods only minutes earlier.

Radnor Police Shawn Dietrich said, "They had over $2000 worth of sheets stolen at a retail theft."

Officer Bell who made the traffic stop is a four year veteran of the force.

"I'm very proud of him and he followed protocol cause if he did pursue them and that accident resulted, people would have said, 'well, if you didn't pursue the people, this wouldn't have happened.' That wasn't the case," Supt. Colarulo said.

Only 27-year-old Teague has been charged at this time. She is currently in jail after being unable to post ten-percent of the $40,000 bail. She is facing a list of charges, including retail theft, conspiracy retail theft, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

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