Man shot by police spurs chase through 2 states after stealing cruiser

A man shot by police in Delaware allegedly stole an officer’s cruiser and led authorities on a chase that ended when he crashed the vehicle in neighboring Pennsylvania and was captured after a foot chase.

New Castle County police had responded around 2:30 a.m. Thursday to a domestic dispute call at an apartment complex in Wilmington when Tyrese Knuckles, 25, ran from the complex and had a “physical confrontation” with police, county Police Chief Joseph Bloch said.

Officers tried to use a Taser on Knuckles to subdue him but he eventually was shot in the torso by an officer, Bloch said. Knuckles then jumped in a nearby police cruiser and drove off, spurring a chase across Wilmington that caused “several accidents” — mostly involving police vehicles — before Knuckles drove up Interstate 95 north and eventually crashed the cruiser in Chester, Pa.

The chase involved officers from New Castle County and Wilmington, as well as state police from Delaware and Pennsylvania, Bloch said. A stretch of I-95 near the final crash scene was shut down for several hours, causing major traffic problems in the area.

Knuckles was hurt in the crash and was being treated at a hospital in Pennsylvania for those injuries and his gunshot wounds, which were not considered life-threatening. He was listed in stable condition Friday.

A New Castle County officer was injured in one of the crashes in Delaware and a state trooper was hurt in another, Bloch said. Both were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The New Castle County officer who shot Knuckles was identified only as an eight-year veteran of the force. The officer has been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated, which is standard procedure in police-involved shootings.

Charges stemming from the chase are pending, authorities said. It has since been learned that Knuckles was wanted on several unrelated warrants issued by Philadelphia police, including one for stalking. It was not known Friday if he has retained an attorney.