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Pennsylvania lawmakers this week approved a bill that criminalizes fleeing authorities on foot.
Senate Bill 814 also makes it a crime if a police dog is harmed or killed during a pursuit. The legislation passed the state Senate by a 36-14 vote Tuesday, with every Republican and seven of 21 Democrats supporting it.
Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg. (AP)
It goes to the state House of Representatives for consideration.
The legislation was introduced in response to the death of Scranton Police Officer John Wilding, who was killed in July 2015 when he fell while chasing three teenage armed robbery suspects.
He suffered a head injury after jumping a fence while pursuing the teens, who were suspected of stealing an SUV and attempting to rob a pedestrian.
State Police troopers await the arrival of suspects outside a district court office. Pennsylvania lawmakers this week approved a bill that criminalizes fleeing authorities on foot. (Getty Images)
Under the terms of the bill, penalties would be based on the severity of the crime and increase if an officer is killed or hurt.
State Sen. John Yudichak, who introduced the bill, said it addresses a "serious deficiency" in the state criminal code during a floor debate.
"In the existing statute, evading arrest by operating a vehicle is a crime, struggling with an officer while being placed under arrest is a crime but evading arrest on foot that results in the death of a police officer is not a crime punishable under the current law," Yudichak said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said the bill is unnecessary, noting it would be used to charge mostly young Black boys and men and other people of color.
"They're [state legislature] sort of guilty of serial over-criminalization. They continue to pass ad hoc bills that could criminalize behavior that could already be charged under the current statute," Elizabeth Randol, legislative director for the ACLU Pennsylvania chapter, told Fox News.
"Yes it's responding to a tragedy … a tragedy does not mean that there are no tools available to hold people accountable in those cases," she added. "But this is what the legislature always does."
On the police dog provision, Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, said the bill would unjustly force someone to allow themselves to be attacked by a dog — and possibly suffer irreversible and serious injuries — or face jail for fleeing.
Scranton Police Officer John Wilding (Scranton Police Department )
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That ignores the "brutal history of the use of dogs in attacking people of color, and it makes this bill unconscionable," Street said during floor debate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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