The multi state incident started in the Philly suburbs, went into the city and crossed the bridge into South Jersey where the manhunt went on for hours.
August 24, 2021 = By Matt Gray | For NJ.com
A chaotic, hours-long hunt for a man wanted on attempted murder charges spanned two states and ended with a gun battle in South Jersey late Monday night that left the suspect and a police officer wounded.
Arthur Henry Disanto Jr., 41, remains hospitalized but is expected to survive, according to police, while the officer suffered non-life threatening injuries in the pursuit that involved officers from multiple police agencies, along with helicopters and drones.
Disanto was armed with a shotgun when he allegedly shot and wounded a woman in her apartment in Media, Pennsylvania, on July 3 and he’s been on the loose ever since.
Pennsylvania State Police were monitoring Disanto in Marple Township on Monday evening and tried to stop him as he rode a motorcycle, but he took off and led them on a chase through several Delaware County towns before they lost sight of him in Prospect Park, according to Folcroft Police Deputy Chief Christopher D. Eiserman.
About five minutes later, a Folcroft plain clothes police officer spotted Disanto and followed him along Delmar Drive in the borough to 84th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard in Southwest Philadelphia, where the front bumper of the officer’s unmarked Chevy Tahoe “made contact” with the bike’s rear wheel, Eiserman said.
Desanto, described by the deputy chief as a known “outlaw motorcycle gang member,” laid the motorcycle down in the intersection and reached for a gun in his waistband as the officer got out of his vehicle, according to the deputy chief.
For his safety, the officer retreated behind his vehicle and Desanto jumped into the Tahoe and drove off. Concerned that Desanto could get ahold of weapons in the vehicle, the officer fired on the fleeing Tahoe, shooting out windows, Eiserman confirmed.
While initial reports indicated the suspect fired on the officer, Eiserman said that issue remains under investigation by Philadelphia Police, who are handling that part of the case.
Police tracked the SUV to Deptford Township, thanks to a cellphone in the vehicle.
Disanto allegedly helped himself to SWAT gear, including a bulletproof vest and helmet, in the Tahoe and took off on foot. He did not take an AR-15 rifle and a handgun that were in the vehicle, Eiserman said, noting that they were concealed.
As police searched the area by ground and air, a drone spotted him hiding on the roof of a shed and Disanto took off running again, Eiserman said.
The manhunt ended in Washington Township shortly before midnight when Disanto traded gunfire with police in front of a home on Blackwood-Barnsboro Road, near Washington Way Apartments, according to authorities.
Disanto and a New Jersey municipal police officer were wounded.
Disanto was taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. The wounded officer has not been identified.
Residents in Deptford and Washington townships were advised to remain in their homes as police scoured the area for Disanto on Monday night.
No other injuries were reported.
In addition to attempted murder, Disanto is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment in the July incident.
Philadelphia Police are charging him with the armed carjacking of the police vehicle, Eiserman added.
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