Police arrest alleged accomplice of escaped teen murder suspect amid manhunt
Police arrested the alleged accomplice of a 17-year-old murder suspect who escaped from a hospital parking lot this week, as the manhunt for the teen continues.
Shane Pryor, who was in custody for a 2020 fatal shooting, escaped from Juvenile Justice Services Center staff at a hospital on Wednesday, police said. He had been transported to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for a hand injury when he fled on foot in the emergency room parking lot shortly before noon, police said.
His alleged getaway driver, 18-year-old Michael Diggs, was detained several hours after the escape and now faces multiple felony charges, authorities said.
Following his escape from custody, Pryor was observed on surveillance footage entering a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia building, where he asked an employee to use her cellphone but was denied, Clark said. He left and was able to use a civilian's phone to allegedly call his "associate," Diggs, according to U.S. Marshals Deputy Rob Clark.
Diggs arrived around 12:30 p.m. and allegedly picked up Pryor in a cream-colored Ford Fusion and left the University City neighborhood, Clark said.
The two were observed in the vehicle at an intersection in North Philadelphia between 1:15 and 2 p.m., which was the last confirmed sighting of Pryor, according to Clark. Pryor was seen on surveillance footage in a convenience store in the area during that time, Clark said.
Officers with the Philadelphia Highway Patrol located the Ford Fusion around 6:40 p.m. Wednesday in Philadelphia's East Germantown neighborhood and detained Diggs for questioning, according to Clark.
Diggs has since been charged with hindering apprehension, escape, use of communication facility and criminal conspiracy in connection with Pryor's escape, police announced on Friday. Attorney information for Diggs wasn't immediately available.
"The arrest marks a significant step forward in the ongoing efforts to bring all those involved in the incident to justice," the Philadelphia Police Department said in a news release.
Pryor was not in the Ford Fusion at the time of the stop and remains at large, authorities said Friday. The U.S. Marshals Service Philadelphia is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Clark said they believe the teen is still in Philadelphia.
"I'm extremely confident we're going to find him, it's just a matter of when," Clark told reporters during a press briefing Friday. "Or we won't find him if he decides to turn himself in, which is what we're hoping he does."
Pryor was arrested in connection with the slaying of Tanya Harris, who was fatally shot in an alleyway in the Holmesburg neighborhood of Philadelphia in October 2020, according to court documents. Pryor, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, allegedly told police he solicited the victim for sex but she was shot by another man, according to court documents.
He had been in custody since his arrest awaiting trial. In December 2023, the courts decided to try Pryor as an adult.
Pryor's defense attorney, Paul DiMaio, told Philadelphia ABC station WPVI his client "has always maintained his innocence," and pointed to the December 2023 court decision as a motive for his escape.
"He may have felt he wasn't going to get a fair shake," DiMaio told the station.
Clark pushed back on the claims of innocence.
"It is my contention that flight is an indicator of guilt, and the longer Pryor stays on the run, the more desperate he becomes," Clark said. "This desperation can lead to further crimes being committed to aid his flight, and this would be detrimental to his future court cases."
Police described Pryor as a 5-foot-7, 180-pound Black male with a light complexion. It is unknown what type of clothes he may now be wearing since his escape. He is believed to have an injured hand, Clark said.
Authorities said the suspect is considered dangerous and encouraged anyone with information to call 911 and not approach him.
ABC News' Leah Sarnoff contributed to this report.
