The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship on Sunday to advance to Super Bowl 59. Fans took to the city’s streets to celebrate the team’s victory after the game. Unfortunately, this led to a mini crime wave after the big win.
The Philadelphia Police Department reported two shootings, a stabbing, the assaults of multiple police officers, and a car that plowed into a group of fans. The incidents were part of an unruly night after hundreds of people gathered in city streets after the Eagles’s win.
The rowdiness started even before the game ended. Two police officers were assaulted in separate incidents near the stadium.
One of the officers was in a physical confrontation with a 44-year-old man from suburban Philadelphia at 4:40 p.m., approximately 100 minutes after the NFC Championship game started. He was charged with “aggravated assault and related charges for allegedly assaulting an officer,” ABC News reported. Later, another police officer was attacked by a 32-year-old man from California. He was also charged with aggravated assault and “other offenses” related to attacking a police officer.
Later, a 25-year-old man was stabbed near Lincoln Financial Field, the stadium where the Philadelphia Eagles play their games. The incident was reported around 7:45 p.m., according to ABC News. The victim was attacked after a “verbal altercation” and suffered a knife wound in the leg. A 34-year-old man was identified as a suspect and was arrested by the PPD. He was charged with possession of an instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person, and aggravated assault, according to reports.
Two shootings were reported later that night in Philadelphia’s Center City area. The first incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. when an unknown gunman shot a 20-year-old man, according to reports. The victim did not suffer any life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital. No suspects have been identified in the case, and the incident is still under investigation, the PPD reported.
Less than two hours later, a 39-year-old man was injured after being hit by bullets. He was taken to a nearby hospital around 11:20 p.m. and suffered wounds to the stomach and chest area after someone fired a gun into a crowd celebrating, according to reports. No arrests were made, and no suspects have been identified in this case. Additionally, two other Philadelphia police officers were reportedly attacked, with these incidents occurring after the game among the celebratory crowds.
A person also was arrested after driving her car into a crowd of people, an incident which the Washington Examiner previously reported. Multiple stories and unconfirmed reports of the number of casualties and what exactly happened were spread after the incident, with the Philadelphia Police Department unable to provide comments other than a social media post on X. In a follow-up, the PPD provided more details about the incident.
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“At 9:31 p.m., a silver 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 struck multiple pedestrians…before being stopped by police,” Philadelphia Police Public Affairs told the Washington Examiner. “Eight individuals suffered injuries ranging from minor pain to fractures. The driver…was taken into custody. She faces charges including Aggravated Assault, Driving without a License, Simple Assault, Reckless Driving, and related offenses.”
Other minor incidents occurred throughout the city. According to ABC News, 31 people were given citations for their unruly behavior. The charges mainly included disorderly conduct or failure to disperse.
