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State police chase ends in crash, leaves two children injured in Germantown

The pursuit ended in a violent chain-reaction accident in the 5200 block of Morris Street.

Residents in the area look at the crime scene along Morris Street in Germantown on Tuesday Dec. 3, 2019.
Residents in the area look at the crime scene along Morris Street in Germantown on Tuesday Dec. 3, 2019.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
    by Robert Moran
    Updated 
    Published 

A state police pursuit into the city’s Germantown section late Tuesday afternoon ended in a chain-reaction accident that left two children injured, Philadelphia police said.

State troopers were pursuing a silver Hyundai Entourage from the Schuylkill Expressway to the 5200 block of Morris Street about 4:20 p.m. when the minivan crashed into a parked vehicle, which then careened into the children.

A 12-year-old boy suffered injuries to his lower left leg and was transported to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. A 13-year-old girl who likely suffered a broken ankle was also taken to the hospital, police said.

Renaldo McPercy Robichaw, the minivan’s driver, and James Adams, a passenger, were taken into custody.

State police said they had just conducted a traffic stop of the minivan about 4 p.m. when the vehicle took off eastbound on the expressway. After the minivan exited the expressway, a gun was tossed from the vehicle. City police later recovered the gun.

“The suspect vehicle continued traveling at a high rate of speed on surface streets” before crashing on Morris, state police said in a statement.

Adams had an active warrant for his arrest in Philadelphia, state police said.

The scene on Morris was like the aftermath of a demolition derby, with one parked Hyundai four-door sedan rammed on top of another car.

Emil Duffy, 30, the owner of the Hyundai sedan and a graduate student at Temple University, was shocked by what happened in front of his home.

“I understand that the police have a job to do, and they want to catch a suspect, but this kind of chase happening in a residential neighborhood at 4 o’clock on a school day? Two kids got hurt and one was laid up on my porch with [a] very bad foot injury and contusion. It’s kind of unacceptable,” Duffy said.

“She was conscious and obviously in a lot of pain and very scared,” Duffy said of the injured girl. “We got her a blanket to put under her foot” until the medics arrived.