I-95 reopens in Delaware County after a man allegedly stole and crashed a police vehicle

Interstate 95 northbound in Chester has reopened after police shut it down to investigate a stolen police vehicle that crashed along the roadway Thursday morning.

The incident began around 2:30 a.m. when New Castle County police responded to a domestic-related incident at the Cynwyd Club apartments in Wilmington, Del. — where some of the suspect’s family members lived — New Castle County Police Chief Joseph Bloch told reporters at news conference Thursday afternoon.

During that time, a man New Castle County police identified as 25-year-old Tyrese Knuckles ran from the apartment complex to the intersection of Limestone and Milltown Roads, where he had a physical altercation with officers.

After trying to use a stun gun on Knuckles during the altercation, an officer identifiedonly as an eight-year veteran of the force shot Knuckles in the torso, Bloch said.

Then, Knuckles jumped in a nearby police cruiser and drove off, police said, instigating a police chase across Wilmington that caused “several accidents” before going 20 miles up I-95 into Chester, where the final crash occurred and Knuckles was taken into custody.

“It put a large amount of large amount Delaware’s law enforcement personnel in intense danger,” said Bloch, who said officers from the New Castle County, Wilmington, Delaware State Police, and Pennsylvania State Police force were all involved in the chase at one point or another. Nearly all of the collisions involved police vehicles, Bloch said.

Knuckles is being treated for“non-life-threatening” gunshot wounds and crash-related injuries at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where he was in stable condition, Bloch said. Another New Castle County police officer is in stable condition at Christiana Care Hospital, where he was also being treated for injuries related one of the crashes. A Delaware State Police officer was also transported to a local hospital for crash-related injuries.

The New Castle County officer who shot Knuckles has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation and another led by the Delaware Department of Justice Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust, per department policy. The county declined to name the officer.

New Castle County police said Knuckles was also wanted by the Philadelphia Police Department “for stalking.” Knuckles has warrants out for harassment, criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy, terrorist threat, and stalking, the Philadelphia Police Department confirmed.

No new charges were immediately filed, Bloch said, and police are still taking inventory of the damage down to their cruisers. This is an ongoing investigation.

All lanes on I-95 north between the Commodore Barry Bridge and Exit 5/Kerlin Street were reopened to traffic as of 11:30 a.m. after having been closed throughout the morning.