A routine traffic stop turned into a police chase early Monday morning when a driver fled a Levittown gas station, leading to an arrest and the recovery of a stolen vehicle, according to court papers.
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Authorities said the incident began around 3:15 a.m. at the Exxon gas station at the intersection of New Falls Road and Bristol-Oxford Valley Road. A Bristol Township police officer attempted to stop a white Kia Soul in the parking lot when the driver suddenly accelerated, fleeing down New Falls Road and into the nearby Plumbridge neighborhood.
The pursuit ended on Parkside Circle where five people exited the vehicle and scattered in different directions, police said.
The vehicle was found with significant damage to its steering and ignition and was abandoned by the suspects, police said.
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Officers quickly responded and set up a perimeter around the area.
Christopher Gonzalez, 20, of North Wales, Montgomery County, was detained at the intersection of Parkside Circle and Plumbridge Drive, police said.
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Footage from an officer’s car captured Gonzalez exiting the rear passenger side and running onto adjacent property, police said.
Gonzalez, who was later found to have been wearing a distinctive black hooded sweater with shark teeth design, is believed to have been inside the stolen Kia Soul along with a juvenile and the others, police said.
The recovered Kia was valued at approximately $9,000 was was reported stolen from nearby Mill Drive, police said.
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The owner of the vehicle told officers she had not given permission for her vehicle to be used, police said.
Officers reportedly found the shark-tooth sweater discarded behind a residence on Parkside Circle.
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The property owner of the Parkside Circle home where the sweater was found confirmed that Gonzalez did not have permission to enter the premises, police said.
No court papers were filed that indicated the identity or whether the other people in the vehicle were arrested.
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Gonzalez was taken before District Judge Kevin Wagner earlier this week and charged with conspiracy to receive stolen property, receiving stolen property, corruption of minors, and loitering and prowling at night. He was held on 10 percent of $75,000 bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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