A teenager was shot and killed by state police after he allegedly struck two troopers with his car on I-95 in Philadelphia over the weekend. Officials revealed more details on the incident as well as several other incidents throughout the city involving car meets. NBC10’s Rosemary Connors has the details.
A teenager was shot and killed after he allegedly drove his car into two Pennsylvania state troopers on I-95 near Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia early Sunday morning.
Pennsylvania State Troopers responded to I-95 southbound at mile marker 21 near Penn’s Landing around 3:20 a.m. for a report of several vehicles and pedestrians illegally blocking the roadway. There were also reports of shots fired at the location, according to police.
When state troopers arrived they found several vehicles illegally blocking the roadway with drivers drag racing, doing “burnouts” and “drifting” as a crowd of spectators watched outside of their cars, investigators said. Officials said that similar incidents had been reported earlier as well.
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Police tried to stop one of the drivers, later identified as 18-year-old Anthony Allegrini Jr. of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. Allegrini allegedly failed to yield and struck two of the troopers with his car. One of the troopers then pulled out his service weapon and opened fire, shooting through the car's front windshield and striking Allegrini at least once. Allegrini was pronounced dead at the scene by medics.
The two troopers who were struck suffered minor leg injuries, investigators said.
Later Sunday morning, a car could be seen taped off along the highway as officers investigated the scene along I-95 southbound. The roadway was closed near exit 20 under the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Lanes later reopened to traffic at 10:01 a.m.
Allegrini’s girlfriend, Reagan Hocking, told NBC10 her boyfriend was a car enthusiast.
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"He loves all cars," she said. "He drove an Audi S4. He loves it. He pays for it."
Hocking described the gathering where Allegrini was shot as a "car meet."
"I do agree that that might not be the most safe thing to do in the world," she said. "But what's not safe is a cop showing up and killing an innocent life."
Hocking also disputed the report from state police, claiming Allegrini was shot when he was outside of a vehicle rather than inside as investigators said. She referenced a social media video that appears to show a man bloody and moving on the ground while a state trooper stands with his gun pointed. NBC10 has not verified the authenticity of that video.
"To the police in general, I just want to say that you need to own up to the rights and you need to give us the honest truth," Hocking said. "Stop protecting yourself. You just killed an innocent life. And you should be held accountable for that."
State Police did not respond to Hocking's comments but investigators are standing by their statement that Allegrini was inside the car when he was shot.
“So as far as protocol, I mean there is times when people are removed from the vehicle for treatment purposes. I can’t get into this specific incident," Pennsylvania State Police Captain Gerard McShea said during a Monday afternoon press conference.
Both Pennsylvania State Police and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office are investigating the incident.
“We will do whatever we can to get the truth that any legal consequence, if there is, any legal consequence in civil court or in criminal court will flow from what the truth is,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
Both troopers involved in the incident are currently on administrative leave and will be allowed to perform limited duties pending the outcome of the investigation. Pennsylvania state troopers are currently not equipped with body cameras. Officials will take a look at dashcam video and cellphone footage during the investigation.
Sunday morning’s incident was one of several car meets that police responded to throughout Philadelphia over the weekend, investigators said. All of the meets involved drivers doing burnouts and drifting in front of hundreds of people, according to police.
“The type of behavior exhibited at these car meets over the weekend were just outrageous, quite frankly,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. “Property was destroyed. Officers and civilians were assaulted.”
Outlaw said only one person has been arrested in connection to the incidents so far but more arrests could come as more evidence comes in.
Hocking, meanwhile, is mourning her boyfriend.
"I would just tell him how much I loved him," she said while in tears. "And how much I would want to make his dreams come true. And I'm going to try my hardest to make all of those dreams come true in the future."
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
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