A tow truck driver chased down a suspected drunk driver who allegedly ran down a Philadelphia police sergeant making a traffic stop on Main Street in the city’s popular Manayunk neighborhood Thursday morning, authorities said.
The crash around 12:30 a.m. along southbound Main Street near Shurs Lane knocked the officer, identified as 55-year-old Joseph Cain, Jr., out of his shoes, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
Cain is a sergeant in the 5th District and a 26 year veteran of the force.
Surveillance video obtained from a nearby business shows the moment of impact. The officer is seen standing next to a police car talking to a fellow officer when suddenly he is knocked away by a passing vehicle.
Cain was knocked about 15 feet through the air. The impact left him bleeding from his legs and arms, with a broken collarbone and suffering from head and neck injuries, police said. He was upgraded to stable condition at the Albert Einstein Medical Center.
The police cruiser involved in the initial traffic stop near some of Manayunk’s popular bars had its emergency lights on at the time of the crash.
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The driver of a blue Toyota RAV4 suspected of striking the officer fled the scene, investigators said. An alert tow truck driver gave chase for a about a mile and alerted police to the suspected hit-and-run driver around Ridge Avenue.
Colin Murphy, 21, from Schwenksville, Pa., was arrested.
"He did appear to be under the influence of alcohol so he was taken into custody, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Murphy is charged with aggravated assault while driving under the influence, criminal mischief, DUI and related offenses. He has yet to be arraigned on the charges and it's not clear if he has retained an attorney.
