Of Course the Cop Car Thief Used to Sling Drinks at PYT

Former PYT waitress Shayna Sykes, 23, was recently arrested after a high-speed chase across state lines that included her stealing not one, but two different police cruisers during the encounter. Sykes, along with boyfriend/accomplice Blake Bills are believed to have attempted to carjack someone in Camden after their car broke down, and then targeted a Camden cop car which was parked in the process of making a routine traffic stop. When the duo jumped behind the wheel of the cruiser, they ran over the officer, breaking his leg.

After joyriding back and forth over the Ben Franklin Bridge, the two were pulled over in North Philly. Sykes proceeded to leave the Camden cruiser and jump into a Philly cop car during the arrest, beginning the chase all over again until it finally ended in Northern Liberties.

While Tommy Up, owner of PYT has never been on the police blotter himself, his establishment has had connections with some very public and violent crimes since opening up a few years back.

Most notoriously, the gruesome murder of the lovely young Sabina Rose O'Donnell, which came as a shock to the neighborhood, and moreso to the PYT community where she was a longtime hostess and server. More recently, PYT was the scene of a deadly shootout that took place in the middle of the Piazza, and started because of an altercation between patrons sitting at PYT's outdoor tables.

In reality, Sykes has a fairly tenuous connection with PYT, as she didn't work there for long, but there's something to be said for bars or restaurants being unlucky and snakebitten. Joey Sweeney, Philebrity honcho, wrote an insightful missive about the horrible crimes committed by Sykes and Bills, and, most importantly, the very young child that they're leaving without parents while they rot away in jail. Sad situation, indeed.

· Charges Filed Against Couple Accused of Stealing Cop Cars [Philly.com]
· All PYT Coverage [~EPHI~]