A man who stole a car with three children in the backseat was dragged from the vehicle by the kids' father and beaten to death late Thursday night in Philadelphia, police say.
In a statement provided to BuzzFeed News, authorities said that a 25-year-old woman parked her car at a pizza restaurant in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood in North Philly around 9:15 p.m.
She left the children in the backseat with the engine running as she went inside to talk to the father of two of the kids.
That's when police say Eric Hood, 54, got into the car and sped off — but he quickly became stuck in traffic just half a block away.
"The parents chased down the vehicle by foot and were able to remove the male from the vehicle," police said.
Officers said a "large crowd" stopped the man and then beat him after he physically assaulted the father.
"We're being told that other males in the area helped the boyfriend with this physical altercation and a physical struggle ensued," Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC Philadelphia.
Hood was beaten unconscious and was later pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital.
The children, who were between 7 months and 5 years old, were not harmed.
The parents, who have not been identified, have been questioned by police.
Homicide detectives are also studying surveillance footage to track down other people involved in the incident.
District Attorney Larry Krasner told the Philadelphia Inquirer it was too early to say whether charges would be filed.