An enraged 19-year-old father was charged with murder today after police said a domestic dispute escalated into a wild car chase that ended tragically with one man dead and five people injured, including the man's infant daughter.

Sean Bender was charged after he allegedly rammed a car occupied by his girlfriend, their 14-month-old daughter and three other people, causing a "horrific" crash early today on Roosevelt Boulevard near Adams Avenue in the lower Northeast, said Homicide Capt. James Clark.

Investigators said they were sorting through conflicting accounts of events that led to the high-speed chase down the Boulevard, with Bender allegedly behind the wheel of a black Chrysler Concorde that repeatedly rammed a blue Ford Crown Victoria.

The District Attorney's Office approved charges of murder, four counts of attempted murder and four counts of aggravated assault and related offenses against Bender, who was wanted on an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault.

Bender remained in critical but stable condition at Frankford Hospital, Torresdale campus, police said.

Handguns were found in both vehicles, but Clark said he does not believe the guns were pulled during the argument.

"All I can say right now is that it was some type of domestic incident that just went extremely bad," said Clark. "It makes no sense at all."

The dispute appeared to revolve around Bender and his relationship with Jaleesa Hall, 16, and their 14-month old child, Sharrisa Bender. As the argument escalated, the parents also exchanged allegations of infidelity, investigators said.

The mother, the baby, and three of her friends piled into the Ford and took off with Bender in hot pursuit, police said.

The two vehicles sped about a mile south on the boulevard, weaving through traffic until they collided and crashed. Nobody in the vehicles -- including the baby -- appeared to be wearing seat belts, investigators said.

Both vehicles were severely damanged. Rescue workers needed to cut the mangled steel frame of the Ford to free the injured. One of the female victims was found on the highway after she managed to escape from the Ford and collapsed.

Police identified the dead man as Charles Johnson, 17, of the 5600 block of Baltimore Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. He was the driver of the Ford, which police said crashed into a concrete wall near a pedestrian tunnel.

"The guy rammed my son down," said a distraught Sheldon Johnson, the victim's father. Charles Johnson had completed his junior year at the Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter High School in Center City and wanted to be an electrical engineer, his family said.

Deborah Battle Johnson, 53, said her son had volunteered to help Hall and her daughter get away from Bender.

The baby was taken to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, where police said she was in a vegetative state on life support yesterday.

The baby's mother, Jaleesa Hall, was taken to Temple University Hospital, along with her sister, Cassandra Hall, 17, who was also in the car. The sisters were in critical but stable condition.

A fifth passenger, Emerald Dustin, 24, a cousin of the Halls, was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where she remained in critical condition.

Dustin is the girlfriend of Charles Johnson, the driver who was killed, his family said.

"They all knew each other," said Lt. Mark Deegan of the Homicide Unit. "They have a history together."

Southbound traffic on the busy boulevard did not reopen until 7 a.m., causing traffic delays for early commuters.

Staff writers Robert Moran, Peter Mucha and Ashwin Verghese contributed to this article.