A police manhunt is underway in Philadelphia after a FedEx truck was commandeered by two men.
It happened around 4 p.m. at 16th and Pine streets in Center City Philadelphia.
According to police, two male suspects pulled up behind the delivery truck at 16th and Pine streets driving a burgundy newer model car thought to be a Pontiac. One of suspects got out and aimed a gun at the two FedEx workers, who declined to be identified.
A witness saw it all unfold and took action.
“The FedEx truck came up behind me and I saw too much activity around it and that’s when I took off and called the police,” the witness said.
Police say after the initial encounter, one of the suspects sped off and left the other behind.
Left on his own, the remaining suspect forced the FedEx workers out of the truck. After realizing the truck was stick shift, which apparently couldn’t drive it, the suspect forced one of the FedEx employees back onto the truck and behind the wheel as the other FedEx worker ran away to safety.
“If it was planned, it wasn’t well planned because they weren’t successful,” Captain Sharon Seaborough of Central Detectives said.
The bizarre attempt at a robbery ended blocks later on 11th street between Locust and Walnut, where the suspect on the truck, said to be afraid of getting caught in slow moving traffic, ordered the driver to stop, then he, like his would be accomplice, got away, this time on foot.
The two suspects remain on the loose.
Though shaken, the FedEx driver who spoke with Action News is undeterred.
“I’m definitely going back to work. I’m not going to stop feeding my children or any of my relatives because this happened,” the driver said.
Police stopped several other FedEx trucks after the incident was reported for fear this might have been a coordinated attack. It turned out not to be.
Anyone with information or video is asked to call 215-686-3096.
