A crowd came to the defense of a family on Thursday and fatally attacked a man who had stolen a car with three kids inside, Philadelphia police said.
According to CNN, 54-year-old Erik Hood snatched the car while the children’s parents were inside a store on Thursday night. Police said that the parents chased down the vehicle on foot and allegedly pulled Hood out of the car when he got caught in the middle traffic.
The carjacker assaulted the father and fled the scene, but he didn’t get far. Hood was confronted by a large crowd who took “justice” into their own hands and brutally beat him. He was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital.
“I’m not a fan of street justice,” Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said at a press conference Friday. “I think everything should play out through us as it comes to criminal actions.”
Police are currently reviewing video footage of the incident in order to identify those responsible for the attack, but no arrests have been made, Smith said.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said prosecutors have decided to refrain from making an official statement until authorities complete their investigation, CNN reports.
Despite the fact that all three of the children that were in the vehicle were unharmed, their mother could also face charges for leaving them unattended in a running car.
