September 26, 2024
Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office/Facebook
A second person has been arrested from investigations into last weekend's large illegal car meetups. Above, Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore speaks during a news conference Thursday.
A 25-year-old Philadelphia man has been arrested for his participation in the illegal car meetups that took place across the city on Saturday night into Sunday morning, authorities said.
Deonte Vincent faces several charges, including aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime and disorderly conduct, the Philadelphia district attorney's office announced in a new conference Thursday. Vincent is accused of speeding toward police in Northeast Philadelphia and nearly striking them before hitting another vehicle. Vincent is the second person to be arrested in connection to the weekend meetups. Jhonny Martinez, 19, was arrested around midnight Sunday, police said.
RELATED: Police vehicles damaged after car meetups take place across Philadelphia, authorities say
Vincent was allegedly driving a blue Dodge Charger in a Pep Boys parking lot Saturday night around 9:30 p.m. near the 7400 block of Bustleton Avenue. When officers arrived at the scene to try to break up the car meetup, approximately 50 vehicles fled, said William Sandman, an assistant district attorney with the carjacking enforcement unit who will be prosecuting the case.
Vincent allegedly ignored officers' commands to stop and drove at a "very high rate of speed" toward the officers, nearly striking two of them, Sandman said. His vehicle then struck another vehicle which stopped in compliance with law enforcement, injuring a person sitting in the stopped vehicle. Police said they identified Vincent's license plate number and were able to identify him as the driver. Vincent is in custody on $1.5 million bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 11. He faces three separate sets of charges — for the two officers and the third person involved, Sandman said.
Martinez, of Upper Darby, was arrested after police allegedly witnessed him doing donuts in his silver Nissan before driving toward a police car in South Philadelphia, police said. Martinez, who was reportedly the driver, crashed his vehicle into a pole near Columbus Boulevard and Pattison Avenue. Martinez was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and other charges are being reviewed. Martinez had a juvenile in the car who was also cited during the course of the evening, Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said.
Overall, about 25 people also were given citations and 38 cars have been identified for their involvement in the meetups, which took place at 11 "major" intersections throughout the city, Vanore said. Along with "driving recklessly," Vanore said people set off fireworks, ignited fires and held up guns. Five cars have been recovered so far, he said.
"There were massive amounts of people, dozens of vehicles, and hundreds of people that participated in these car meetups," Vanore said. "... They moved in unison together, and they wreaked havoc and caused all kinds of chaos, actually injured people while they were there."
A police officer was injured during the meetups, Vanore said. He also said a 17-year-old Delaware girl was injured when she was struck by fireworks. Five police vehicles were damaged, with the extent totaling about $16,000. The Streets Department told police that the damage to the roads could total anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000 per intersection.
Participants in the meetup allegedly traveled from "way beyond Pennsylvania" to be involved in the meetups, Vanore said. He did not specify which states they came from due to the ongoing investigation.
"People have driven long and far to be involved in this, and we're going to go get them no matter how far they are," Vanore said.
Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI have joined the investigation. Authorities are examining body camera footage, city camera videos and social media posts to identify additional suspects. Many additional arrests are expected, police said. The district attorney's office has uploaded photos from the meetups. Anyone who recognizes a person or vehicle can call the police tip line at 215-686-8477. Philadelphia police are also accepting any video footage witnesses may have.
"There's been a growing trend in our Philadelphia streets where they are being taken over by a criminal element who has no regard for the safety of our citizens as they travel around this beloved city," said Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Esack, who is a supervisor for the carjacking enforcement unit. "What happened this weekend is an absolute outrage which cannot and will not be tolerated."
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