Teenager fires gun at Philadelphia police officer in North Philly: police
PHILADELPHIA - An investigation and pursuit to apprehend a male suspect accused of shooting at a police officer is underway in North Philadelphia, police say.
At around 7:08 p.m. on the 2200 block of North Van Pelt Street, police say an officer on-duty noticed a man who appeared to be a teenager carrying a gun on the street, and when the officer went to investigate, the suspect shot at the police officer two times from just 25ft away. They say the officer did not discharge his gun and called for backup which began a pursuit.
Officials say the suspect ran into the rear alleyway o the 2200 block between Van Pelt and 22nd Street and that's when police immediately cordoned off the area.
No injuries to police have been reported.
The suspect is wanted for VUFA violations, police say.
He is still on the loose in the nearby North Philly area.
"We're really lucky that the officer was not struck by gunfire, said Chief Inspector Scott Small. "No one else was struck by gunfire. And the officer showed a lot of restraint because no police discharged their weapon because at the time it happened so quickly."
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According to Chief Small, investigators are looking into any cameras that may have caught the incident.
They are also processing the shell casings to determine the kind of gun the suspect used.
Officials have dispatched SWAT, K-9 and Tac-Air at the scene.