Man charged after several hit-and-runs
>> A Philadelphia man wanted for two hit-and-runs in Philadelphia was arrested early Wednesday morning after hitting a jogger in Collegeville.
Kareem Welton, 40, of 23rd Street in Philadelphia, was arrested on charges of attempted murder, and aggravated assault related to a hit-and-run on Main Street in Collegeville that left a 38-year-old man seriously injured.
Following the crash in Collegeville, Welton was apprehended in nearby Trappe, ending what had been a dangerous and reckless high-speed drive from Center City Philadelphia — where one victim died and others were injured — into Montgomery County, police said.
At 5:54 a.m. Wednesday, a Collegeville Police Officer was on routine patrol when he received a radio broadcast about a stolen gray Nissan Altima was headed west on Ridge Pike/Main Street. The officer spotted the vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed after cross
ing the Perkiomen Bridge. He activated his emergency lights, then briefly lost sight of the vehicle. Seconds later, the officer came across a pedestrian that was lying in the roadway and stopped to assist the 38-year-old injured runner who had been struck by the Altima.
The hit-and-run victim was life-flighted to a Philadelphia hospital with severe injuries including a broken spine and fractures to his ribs and leg. He is expected to survive.
An investigation by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau and Collegeville Police found that, according to witnesses, the driver of the Altima crossed the oncoming lane of travel, intentionally struck the runner and then returned to his proper westbound travel lane before driving off west on Main Street. The defendant then pulled the Altima into an Exxon station in Trappe. He got out of the car, removing a puppy from the backseat. He then attempted to steal a bicycle but was confronted by the owner. Police took the defendant into custody without incident.
“This defendant was not only driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed, but he intentionally targeted the runner and hit him, attempting to kill him,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. “The intention to kill and seriously injure people can be seen in the defendant’s actions throughout the night.”
According to an Associated Press report Wednesday, a man driving a stolen vehicle in Philadelphia hit two people on a motorcycle, killed a woman on a sidewalk after hitting her twice, and then stole a second vehicle and hit another pedestrian before he was taken into custody in Trappe, authorities said.
Police said the man hit the motorcycle in central Philadelphia shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday, sending a female passenger to a hospital in stable condition. Police said the vehicle fled the scene and struck two pedestrians on a sidewalk nearby. Police said he drove off, then returned and struck one of the victims a second time. She was taken to Jefferson University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead about 2 ½ hours later.
Police said the driver fled and then stole another vehicle, striking another pedestrian in the Manayunk neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia. That person was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Welton was arrested and charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault for his conduct in Montgomery County. The Montgomery County investigation is ongoing. The investigation into the defendant’s other actions throughout the night is also continuing.
The defendant is awaiting arraignment by a Magisterial District Judge. At that time, a preliminary hearing will be scheduled.