Crescentville traffic stop ends in gunfire; driver fatally wounded, officer injured

A traffic stop in the Crescentville section of Northeast Philadelphia ended in gunfire when authorities say the driver backed into a police officer’s cruiser and then pinned him against a wall, spurring the officer to fire several shots into the vehicle.

The driver, identified by authorities as 36-year-old Curtis Wallace, sped off but was soon found wounded in the vehicle and died a short time later.

The officer, who was on patrol by himself, tried to stop the car around 7 p.m. Thursday at F Street and Roosevelt Boulevard. Wallace allegedly continued driving, stopping near Adams and Newtown avenues at a bridge over Tacony Creek. There, three witnesses reported the vehicle backed into the officer’s cruiser and, as the officer approached the vehicle, it moved and pinned him against the wall of the bridge, city Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.

The officer then fired several shots into the vehicle, and a passenger in the car got out and was detained there by the three witnesses as the driver sped away, police said. The vehicle was soon found in an alley nearby on the 200 block of Benner Street, and Wallace was inside and had gunshot wounds to the head and body, police said. He was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later, police said.

The name of the officer have not been released. The officer, who has served on the force for about eight years, suffered injuries to both legs and remained hospitalized Friday. No other injuries were reported.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Metro reporter Jack Tomczuk contributed to this article.