Video released of police car theft

Authorities today released a video of a heroin-addicted couple's brazen theft of a police cruiser last week in Camden, which left a city officer injured and ended after a high-speed chase through the streets of Philadelphia captured live on television.

Blake Bills, 24, a 2006 Kingsway Regional graduate, stole the Camden cruiser around 9:50 a.m. March 6 as Officer Sekou Reid-Bey had stepped out to conduct a traffic stop at Federal Street, near the police headquarters.

Bills then struck Bey with the cruiser, drove around the block once and picked up his fiance, Shayna Sykes, 23, of Macungie, Pa., at Mickle Boulevard and Haddon Avenue, authorities said.

He fled east on Admiral Wilson Boulevard into Pennsauken, and back into Camden on the same road before leading police on a wild, high-speed chase into Philadelphia, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office and city police said.

In Philadelphia, Sykes jumped into a Philadelphia police cruiser and took off in another frenzied pursuit, hitting three cars and a truck, and nearly striking a pedestrian who had to dive out of the way.

The cruiser, which was leaking fluid, stopped on the 1100 block of Hope Street, just before 10:30 a.m., in Northern Liberties.

The video of the theft in Camden was released a day after Reid-Bey, who suffered a fractured leg, was sent home from the hospital. The footage was recorded by a camera pointed at the main entrance of the Camden police headquarters, and the theft could be seen in the door's reflection.

Blake has been charged with attempted murder, carjacking, aggravated assault and other offenses in Camden. Sykes was charged with conspiracy to commit theft of a car and joyriding.

The couple, who authorities said are heroin addicts, also face a slew of other charges including receiving stolen property and driving under the influence in Philadelphia, and loitering to obtain a controlled dangerous substance in Camden.

Authorities said the crime spree started March 1 when the couple stole Sykes' grandmother 2003 Mazda Protege from Macungie, tried to buy drugs in Camden on March 3, and led Camden police on a chase on Interstate 676 heading to Philadelphia before the cruiser rolled over.

On March 4, they stole an Altima in Philadelphia after the deliveryman left the keys in the ignition and drove to Camden, where the car was later recovered.

They had attempted to carjack another vehicle in Camden shortly before Bills stole the Reid-Bey's cruiser.

Both are being held in Pennsylvania and are expected to be extradited to New Jersey at some point. Bills has paid the bail on his Philadelphia charges is being held on $500,000 bail on his New Jersey charges.