PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Philadelphia police said they have made an arrest in connection to an escaped teen murder suspect. The announcement comes after authorities said they were questioning a person who they believed picked up 17-year-old Shane Pryor after he escaped from an emergency room parking lot at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia earlier this week.
Police say they have apprehended 18-year-old Michael Diggs.
Pryor, who was in custody for a 2020 murder of Tanya Harris, escaped late Wednesday morning while being transported by Juvenile Justice Services Center staffers after injuring his hand at the center. It is not known how the injury occurred.
Investigators said information suggested that Pryor had been picked up by an individual driving a cream-colored Ford shortly after his escape Wednesday. Later that day, police stopped a vehicle matching that description in they city’s Germantown section at Wakefield Street and Logan Avenue, and took two people in for questioning, including Diggs.
Diggs has formally been charged with hindering apprehension, and criminal conspiracy, among other charges.
“The arrest marks a significant step forward in the ongoing efforts to bring all those involved in the incident to justice,” police said Friday.
New video released Thursday shows Pryor moments after he escaped from the parking lot in University City.
New video shows murder suspect ask to use phone moments after escape
At about 11:55 a.m., he was seen on surveillance video in the lobby of the Hub for Clinical Collaboration building, which is located across the street from the main hospital, according to U.S. Marshals. Pryor asked an employee to use a phone and, after being denied, he left.
By 12:29 p.m., investigators believe Pryor obtained a ride out of University City.
He was not handcuffed when he fled, police said, and it wasn’t known whether he was able to get out of his restraints or if he wasn’t restrained at all.
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Police say Pryor was last seen heading from the area of 34th and Spruce streets to University Avenue and Civic Center Boulevard.
Pryor was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt, blue sweatpants, socks and slides. Police say he may have since taken off the sweatshirt.
He is 5’7″ tall and weighs 180 pounds.
“We know from our investigation so far, looking at a lot of video, that he was able to go in and out of a few buildings in this area,” Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told reporters. “Pryor was seen talking to people “asking for a phone … whatever he could do to leave the area.”
Pryor has been on the run for three days and is considered dangerous, police said. His defense attorney Paul DiMaio said his client “has always maintained his innocence,” even in his initial statement to police.
Philadelphia Police news conference on escaped inmate in University City
Police were searching the buildings and using canines to search large multi-level parking garages, but no lockdowns had been imposed, he said. Officers were also checking the homes of his relatives in other parts of the city, Vanore said.
A reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Pryor’s arrest is being offered by the U.S. Marshals Service.
“Shane Pryor is a dangerous and desperate individual and we will use every available resource to bring him back into custody,” said Robert Clark, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal. “Anyone who is found assisting him in his flight will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
In December, a judge denied his bit to have the case moved back to juvenile court, which could have something to do with his client’s decision to flee.
“He may have felt he wasn’t going to get a fair shake,” DiMaio said, adding, “He needs to turn himself in and he needs to do whatever we need to do to fight this case.”
Pryor’s mother is also urging her son to turn himself in.
“Just turn yourself in so it don’t get any worse than it has to be… mommy is fighting for you, I’ll always be fighting for you,” she said.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s tipline at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or dial 911.
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6abc Digital Staff
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