Video is surfacing on social media showing a violent mob attacking a Philadelphia police officer in his cruiser, directly in front of City Hall, last night.
The mob shown in the below video was one of many, with 6ABC reporting "hundreds of cars and large crowds of people engaging in reckless activity" all over the city in the name of "car meetups".
The report said there were "11 illegal car meetups, six of which allegedly involved excessive violence and destruction". One officer was injured and left in the hospital when all was said and done.
Deputy Commissioner Mike Cram with Philadelphia police told ABC: "Everything they do is disruptive, they're ruining the quality of life. At one point, they had a flame thrower. Yes, there's video with a flame thrower."
"They're able to disperse quickly and then reform at other locations. That's why we have officers dedicated. It's playing wack-a-mole. We hit them at once, and they move to another," he continued.
🚨NEW: violent mob attacks a Philadelphia police officer in his cruiser last night, rampaging with total impunity — Soros D.A. Larry Kranser doesn’t prosecute violent criminals. Period. pic.twitter.com/uBdrjIYs69
— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) September 23, 2024
"It's dangerous, honestly. I'm amazed -- it's extremely dangerous for them and people walking down the street," one local resident said.
"They don't care about your safety, their own safety. You've all seen the videos of their behavior. How much chaos can they cause?" Cram added.
Illegal car meetups started around 9:30 p.m. Saturday and continued until 4:30 a.m. Sunday, with police responding to incidents at multiple locations, including Bustleton Avenue, 20th and Pattison, Island and Bartram, and 15th and Market.
Footage from Action News shows a large crowd near City Hall, a known spot for burnouts and stunts, with cars even spinning around a ring of fire.
Several officers were attacked, and five police vehicles, including a mobile station, were damaged. About 200 vehicles were involved, with damage to police cars including smashed windshields and flat tires.
