PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A man who authorities say picked up a teenager awaiting trial in a homicide case after the youth escaped outside a Philadelphia hospital this week is now facing charges while the search for the teen continues.
Michael Diggs, 18, is accused of hindering apprehension, escape, criminal conspiracy and use of a communication facility, city police announced Friday. Court records were unavailable for these charges early Friday, and the city public defender’s office said it has not been assigned to the case.
Authorities said Diggs was driving the vehicle that 17-year-old Shane Pryor was seen getting into less than an hour after he escaped Wednesday from a vehicle in the driveway of the emergency room at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he had been taken with a hand injury.
Security video shows Pryor was able to go in and out of a few buildings in the area after his escape, said Deputy Commissioner of Investigations Frank Vanore. He also was seen talking to people, “asking for a phone … whatever he could do to leave the area,” he said.