Stolen car crashes into 7-Eleven in Bensalem during police chase; five juveniles arrested

A stolen Philadelphia car driven by a juvenile crashed into a 7-Eleven in Bensalem, PA, after striking two vehicles during a police chase. All five juveniles involved were taken into custody.

Juvenile driver rams stolen car into Bensalem 7-Eleven after high-speed chase

A stolen car driven by a juvenile ploughed into a 7-Eleven convenience store on Street Road in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, on Thursday afternoon, following a police pursuit that began when officers attempted to stop the vehicle, nbcphiladelphia.com reports.

Bensalem Police tried to pull over the car, which had been reported stolen out of Philadelphia. The driver accelerated and fled. During the chase, the stolen vehicle struck a Bensalem police car as well as a second civilian vehicle before the driver lost control and crashed into the 7-Eleven at 1644 Street Road.

"I saw the car just going with their brakes on just all the way through and straight into 7-Eleven," witness Ann Norris told NBC10. "It sounded like a bomb went off."

Three people fled the vehicle immediately after impact. "It took less than a half a second for them to go in and then they were out and running," Norris said.

Investigators determined that all three occupants at the time of the crash were juveniles. Two additional juveniles had been dropped off by the stolen car before it reached the store. All five were from Bensalem Township.

Police deployed multiple drones to locate the five individuals. NBC10 obtained cellphone footage showing an officer restraining a person on the ground in the front yard of a home near the store.

Alan Stone, who recorded the video, described the scene to NBC10: "My neighbor said somebody smashed into the 7-Eleven. So, at that time, two people came running by. One guy ran down the street. Another guy was running through the backyard. Some random guy came out of nowhere and tackled him. And that's when all the cops came flooding out."

All five juveniles were subsequently taken into custody. The driver remains held at the Bucks County Youth Detention Center. The other four were released to their parents or guardians.

No injuries from the crash itself were reported. A Bensalem police officer sustained a non-life-threatening leg injury while arresting one of the juveniles.

SkyForce10 footage showed a tow truck removing the car from the heavily damaged storefront around 4 p.m. Crews worked through Thursday night clearing debris. The 7-Eleven is expected to remain closed for several weeks while repairs are carried out.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)