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Carjacker Picks Car with Kids Inside, Beaten to Death When Parents Catch up: Police

By Joe Setyon July 12, 2019 at 11:16am

More details are emerging after Philadelphia police say a suspected carjacker who attempted to steal a woman’s car with three of her children inside was beaten to death by the woman’s boyfriend and other bystanders.

It all started at around 9 p.m. Thursday, when the woman stopped her car next to the pizzeria where her boyfriend works, according to WCAU.

The woman reportedly left the car running with three of her children, ranging in age from seven months to 5 years old, inside.

Her boyfriend is the father of two of those children, police said.

“Investigators say the 54-year-old suspect stole a car with three children inside and was chased down by the children’s mother and her 25-year-old boyfriend,” WNYW reported. “The pair eventually caught up with the car and pulled the suspect from the driver’s seat.”

“[The parents] were able to pull this car thief out of the vehicle. He fled on foot about a half a block. And the boyfriend caught up to him and there was some sort of physical struggle that ensued,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said, according to WPVI.

Authorities say that’s when bystanders got involved as well, joining the father in beating the suspect up, which eventually resulted in his death.

“We’re working on finding out who these other males were that also assaulted the individual that subsequently died,” Small also said, as KYW-TV reported.

Do you think these parents should face criminal charges?

“We’re trying to find out who those other individuals are,” he added.

The deceased suspect has since been identified as Eric Hood, police sources told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

After being beaten unconscious, he was taken to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead just after 10 p.m.

Both parents were questioned by police.

The children, meanwhile, were placed in the care of family members.

It’s not yet clear if the parents will face any criminal charges for their alleged roles in the incident.

“Police say the assault was captured by a nearby surveillance camera,” KYW-TV reported.

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Tags:

Crime, Death, Just In, Philadelphia, Police, Robbery

Joe Setyon

Deputy Managing Editor, Editorial

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Joe Setyon was a deputy managing editor for The Western Journal who had spent his entire professional career in editing and reporting. He previously worked in Washington, D.C., as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine.

@JoeSetyon

Joe Setyon was deputy managing editor for The Western Journal with several years of copy editing and reporting experience. He graduated with a degree in communication studies from Grove City College, where he served as managing editor of the student-run newspaper. Joe previously worked as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine, a libertarian publication in Washington, D.C., where he covered politics and wrote about government waste and abuse.

Birthplace

Brooklyn, New York

Topics of Expertise

Sports, Politics