Two Philly men charged after officers said they were shot at during attempted traffic stop
Khalil Flowers and Nathaniel Smith were arrested Friday after police said Smith shot at officers.
Two Philadelphia men police say shot at officers after an attempted traffic stop have been charged with multiple crimes, including assault of a law enforcement officer and recklessly endangering another person, authorities said.
Khalil Flowers, 35, and Nathaniel Smith, 30, were arrested Friday shortly after Smith shot at officers who tried to pull them and a third person over in the Overbook section of the city, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a Monday news conference.
The officers, whom police did not identify, were not injured, Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said Monday.
Just before 5:30 p.m. Friday, three officers in an unmarked police vehicle were patrolling near the 5400 block of Morse Street when they spotted a white Kia Forte being driven erratically at a high speed, said Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.
At one point, the driver sped past a stop sign and drove the wrong way down a one-way street, said Vanore.
When the officers tried to pull over the driver and the two passengers, the driver sped away and Smith pulled out a gun and fired at least two shots toward the officers, he said.
The officers, whom police did not identify, were not injured, said Vanore.
Shortly after, the car got stuck behind a truck and all three men got out and fled on foot, with officers pursuing and quickly apprehending Smith and Flowers, he said.
When police searched the Kia, they found packaged crack cocaine and marijuana, two spent shell casings, and the 9mm handgun police believe Smith shot at police, said Vanore.
Police are still searching for the third suspect.
Smith was charged with three counts of assault of a law enforcement officer, three counts of aggravated assault, and related crimes. Flowers was charged with recklessly endangering another person.
Both men were also charged with drug crimes.
Smith and Flowers are being held at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, with Smith’s bail set at $1.5 million and Flowers’ bail set at $500,000, court records show.
Both men are scheduled for preliminary hearings Aug. 13.
The shooting occurred at the start of a particularly violent weekend that saw 12 shootings that left three people dead and 15 injured.
Despite the weekend’s surge in violence, homicides continue to trend downward, with 129 homicides as of Sunday, compared to 152 at the same time last year, according to police data.
There were 600 shooting victims as of Sunday, down from the 646 the same time last year, according to the data.