PENSYLVANIA’S PHILADELPHIA: On Thursday, July 28, a man threatened to throw a baby off a freeway overpass and a woman helped calm the situation. Christine King of Bensalem recalled driving on Interstate 95 in northeast Philadelphia on her way to work.
She noticed a couple arguing at this point on a bridge overpass near the Cottman Avenue exit. The man, who has since been named Raheem Murphy, is said to have threatened to throw the youth he was holding off the overpass, according to King. Then, while still driving down the street, she pulled over and tried to defuse the situation.
King told WPVI, “I couldn’t just pass when I saw the kid.” “And I couldn’t help it when I saw him trying to knock the kid over.” King tried to take the kid away from Murphy after he got out of her car. “I said, ‘Give me the child. She was trying to pull the baby out herself and I wrapped my hand around the baby to pull it away from him and I said, “Give me the baby,” she said. “Get off my baby, I’ll shoot you,” he said. I will shoot you.
After fighting and begging the man for several minutes, King claimed that the woman, whose name has not yet been released, was able to take the pistol away from him. King was informed by the woman that Murphy was her ex-boyfriend. King told WPVI that as she took the revolver from his pocket, “she walked after him, he was shaking so he didn’t realize it was in his pocket.” She put it in her pocket at the time.
Even after police arrived, Murphy resisted urges to release the child. According to prosecutors, he allegedly assaulted a state police officer and resisted arrest before being taken into custody. However, the police were able to safely take the child away from him. Rescue workers on site also examined the toddler.
With aggravated assault, kidnapping for ransom, wrongful restraint, wrongful possession of a criminal instrument with intent, simple assault, terrorist threats, coercion/threat to commit a crime, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and harassment, Murphy, 35 , dating Bristol, has been charged. He was also charged with resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and other charges. The perpetrator was initially arraigned in Philadelphia City Court last week and is currently being held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on 10% of a $1.5 million bond. According to the prosecutor’s office, he is also subject to a residency order and must undergo a psychological evaluation.
King claimed she had no regrets about putting herself in a dangerous situation. She told WPVI she would do it again. “I didn’t see a gun, but I saw one when she took the gun away from him. He tried to knock the child over, she continued.
Please call the Women Against Abuse Hotline at 1-866-723-3014 or the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-888-799-SAFE (7233) if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence or wish to report this .