June 05, 2015
A thorough investigation is planned after a man attempting to flee police on bike collided with a police cruiser and died Wednesday night in Chester, CBSPhilly reports.
Officers said they believed 24-year-old Sherman Byrd was trying to flee after an attempted robbery.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan, who will handle the investigation, said deputies serving warrants got word of a robbery, and when they approached Byrd, he pulled out a gun and jumped on a bike.
Chester police joined the pursuit, which ended near 13th and Keystone streets.
“Our preliminary information is that this is an accident," Whelan told CBSPhilly. "However we’re not taking that for granted. We’re going to go beyond the information that originally came in and we’re going to start from scratch. We believe that the Chester police vehicle actually struck the individual as he was falling off of the bike.”
It is still unclear whether Byrd was the robbery suspect in question.
