A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the traffic stop that left a police officer injured earlier this week in Northeast Philadelphia, authorities said Wednesday morning.
Eddy Brito-Almonte, of Feltonville, turned himself in a couple hours after police released a photograph late Tuesday identifying him as the suspect in the incident. He is set to be charged with aggravated assault, weapons violations and other offenses, investigators said.
Police allege Brito-Almonte was behind the wheel of a Tesla that was pulled over Monday night at the corner of Cheltenham Avenue and Walker Street in Wissinoming. Two highway patrol officers noticed the car roll through a stop sign with a broken headlight, Captain Jack Ryan, of the Northeast Detective Division, told reporters Tuesday.
One of the officers spotted a gun inside the vehicle and tried to get the driver out of the car, Ryan said. That’s when the suspect hit the gas, dragging the officer down the block, according to police.
The officer, whose name has not been released, was hospitalized with injuries to his ribs and legs. He was subsequently discharged from the medical center.
Ryan said the suspect had already provided the officers with his driver’s license and registration, and authorities on Tuesday morning found the Tesla parked at 7th and Cambria streets.
Brito-Almonte’s legal representation could not be identified Wednesday.
