Attempted robbery in Germantown leads to police chase, stolen-car crash

A police chase that spanned Germantown on Thursday night came to abrupt end against a tree.

At about 8:30 p.m., police patrolling the neighborhood’s Wister section observed two people allegedly assaulting a woman on the street, according to police at the scene.

The alleged victim claimed that her attackers, a man and the woman, were attempting to rob her, which prompted the two would-be thieves to hop in a white vehicle and flee the scene.

Police then chased the reportedly stolen older-model sedan through the neighborhood.

At the corner of Rittenhouse and Morton streets in East Germantown, the driver lost control and slammed into a tree located in a concrete courtyard. Cracks in the glass indicated the driver’s head hit the windshield.

Officers at the scene said they didn’t know whether it was a Dodge Shadow or Plymouth Duster, as the logos had fallen off before, or during, the pursuit.

Police did not immediately identify the driver and passenger who were being taken by medics to Albert Einstein Medical Center for treatment. Both were arrested and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle; police said they were searching for the weapon that the occupants allegedly had.

The alleged robbery that precipitated the incident remains under investigation, according to police.

A department spokeswoman said the incident report had not yet been filed to answer precisely where the chase started, and whether the suspects had been released from Einstein and into police custody Friday morning.