After an exhaustive five-day manhunt, U.S. Marshals successfully apprehended 17-year-old Shane Pryor, the teen murder suspect who had escaped from custody last Wednesday.
The capture took place at the intersection of 3rd Street and Roosevelt Boulevard around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
Pryor managed to escape from the Juvenile Justice Services Center staff during a medical transport to a hospital in the University City neighborhood.
The escape occurred just before noon on Wednesday as Pryor was being transported for a hand injury. Notably, he was not handcuffed at the time, allowing him to evade staff and flee the vicinity on foot, as disclosed by Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore.
Following Pryor's escape, he was observed on surveillance footage entering a lobby of the Hub for Clinical Collaboration, where he unsuccessfully sought assistance from the receptionist.
He then exited the building and managed to use a phone from a civilian on the street to contact someone, who the police later identified as Michael Diggs. Diggs, 18, arrived around 12:30 p.m. and allegedly picked up Pryor in a Ford Fusion.
The next confirmed sighting of the two was at an intersection in Mascher Street and Godfrey Avenue, North Philadelphia between 1:15 and 2 p.m., as per U.S. Marshals Deputy Rob Clark.
Clark revealed that officers with the Philadelphia Highway Patrol located the Ford Fusion around 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday in East Germantown at Wakefield Street and Logan Avenue and detained Diggs for questioning.
The 18-year-old now faces multiple charges, including hindering apprehension, escape, use of communication facility, and criminal conspiracy in connection with Pryor's escape.
Authorities revealed that Pryor was captured on surveillance footage inside a business establishment around 1:30 p.m. on January 24 in the vicinity of Godfrey Avenue and Mascher Street in Olney. U.S. Marshals subsequently verified that Pryor had boarded a SEPTA bus just before his apprehension.
Swiftly responding to the situation, law enforcement officers halted the bus, extracted Pryor from the vehicle, and placed him under custody. Notably, the teen was alone on the bus, authorities stated.
Law Enforcement Collaboration
Sgt. Eric Gripp expressed gratitude to the media and the public for sharing tips and information, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in such cases.
In light of these events, officials also mentioned that other "key players" who may have assisted in Pryor's escape could face prosecution, signaling that the investigation is ongoing and may lead to further arrests.
Pryor, along with another teen named Harris William, were arrested and charged with killing 54-year-old Tanya Harris in an alleyway in Northeast Philadelphia in 2020. He was 14 at that time.
Since then, Pryor had been detained at the Juvenile Justice Services Center while his case progressed through the courts until he managed to escape last week.