A teenager was using his scooter to make deliveries in Philadelphia early Wednesday when he was hunted down and shot by a group of people on ATVs and dirt bikes, according to authorities.
Officers with the Philadelphia Police Department were called to 10th St. and Federal St. in the city’s Passyunk Square neighborhood, around 12:30 a.m., NBC Philadelphia reported. When they arrived on the scene, they found a 17-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound to his leg beside his crashed scooter.
He was rushed to Jefferson University Hospital, where is currently listed in stable condition.
While the victim does not speak English, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said investigators were able to piece together what happened with the help of witnesses on the scene. They told authorities a group of approximately eight men riding on at least four separate all-terrain vehicles and bikes chased the teen in an apparent attempt to rob him.
The boy, who has not been identified, appeared to wrapping up a delivery shift for the night, Small added.
Upon spotting his pursuers, all of them wearing black at the time, the teen fled south on 10th Street. They “chased the 17-year-old who was on the motorized scooter” about 10 blocks, before someone shot him, Small said.
The teen continued to drive for about 100 feet before he crashed his scooter into a parked car, where he was found by authorities a short time later. A single shell casing was also recovered from the scene.
“There is a language barrier,” Small reiterated while addressing reporters early Wednesday. “So we’re not exactly certain as to what occurred.”
Small added that there are “numerous” businesses and private properties near 10th and Federal with surveillance cameras, which will hopefully be of use to officers in their ongoing investigation.
No arrests have been made, and no other details have been provided regarding the suspects.
