Philadelphia Police shoot a man, after investigators say he ran towards officers with a gun pointed at them in North Philadelphia tonight.

The suspect was shot at 24th and Oxford Streets. Police say the 21-year-old man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Neighbors tell NBC10's Chris Cato that the man did not have a gun. "He had his hands in the air and telling them that 'I don't have a gun, I'm a good guy,' " said Naim Ferguson.

Chief Inspector Scott Small said they've heard no one at the scene say the man was unarmed.

Police say the man had a .45 caliber handgun that they found on the street, which was cocked and loaded, Small says.

This is the third police-involved shooting in the past two days.

Last night, two men were shot and killed by police in separate incidents.

A 35-year-old man, who family members identify as Belton "Amir" Lomax, was killed at Locust Avenue and Devon Street in Germantown last night. Police say he was armed with a semi-automatic weapon and aimed his gun at officers. 

Lomax was a father of 8. Family members and neighbors claim he was unarmed, but police say they received several 911 calls reporting an armed man at that location. Investigators say his weapon was recovered at the scene.

A second man, who hasn't been identified yet, was shot and killed in West Philadelphia last night.

Police responded to the 5600 block of Wyalusing Avenue after getting calls about an armed man.

Officers began to chase the gunman, along with another man. Investigators say the gunman ran into an SUV and then pointed his gun at the officers.

Police shot and killed him. The second man was taken into police custody.

That gun was also recovered at the scene.
 

Two Philadelphia faith-healing churches have a long history of the youngest members of their congregation dying because parents refused medical care.

Families who attend Faith Tabernacle Congregation in North Philadelphia and First Century Gospel Church in Juniata Park have lost more than two dozen children to illness since 1971, according to non-profit Children’s Healthcare Is a Legal Duty, Inc. (CHILD, Inc.). Both churches believe in the power of prayer over modern medicine.

The Schaibles are one of those families.

Herbert and Catherine Schaible stand charged with third-degree murder and other crimes after their 7-month-old son Brandon died from bacterial pneumonia, dehydration and a group B streptococcus infection on April 18.

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams says the boy’s death could have been prevented, but the couple instead turned to prayer.

This is the second time the couple lost a child to illness. They were sentenced to 10 years probation after the 2009 death of their 2-year-old son Kent. Kent died after contracting pneumonia, an illness prosecutors said could have been prevented with basic medical care.

With Brandon’s death, prosecutors allege the couple violated their probation by not taking the baby to the doctor.

The Schaibles are members of the First Century Gospel Church. Founded in 1925, the church is an offshoot of its mother church Faith Tabernacle Congregation. At least 22 children from the congregations have died from illnesses.

In 1991, Faith Tabernacle lost five children to the measles after an outbreak. One child from First Century Gospel also died.

Dean Heilman was 22-months-old when he bled to death as a result of his hemophilia. His parents, Dean and Susan, were charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to probation in 1997, according to court records.

Court records also show Annemarie and Daniel Foster were also charged in 1997 with endangering the welfare of their son Patrick. The 2-year-old went months without treatment for a tumor. The Fosters were given probation and got Patrick treatment, according to CHILD, Inc. He died in 2007.

NBC10’s Lu Ann Cahn spoke to one member of First Tabernacle Thursday about the church’s beliefs.

“The church believe that people get sick because they’re not doing the right thing,” the man named John said. He refused to give his last name during the interview.

“God promised us that if we do his will, that there’s no infection; all these diseases that you name, would not come to you,” the man explained. John says he believes the congregation is being persecuted for their beliefs.

Dr. Paul Offit, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, says a parent’s faith does not trump their health.

“Although, you are allowed to martyr yourself to your religion, you are not allowed to martyr your child to your religion,” he said.

Dr. Offit is now writing a book about the 1991 measles outbreak. He says Pennsylvania’s laws need to be changed to prevent additional faith-healing related deaths from happening.

“In the State of Pennsylvania, there are religious exemptions to child abuse and neglect laws, we are backward in that sense,” he said. “I think we need to eliminate those exemptions.”

The Schaibles are being held on $250,000 bail. But prosecutors are seeking to have the bail revoked over the violation of the couple’s probation. A judge will decide whether the bail should stay or go during court proceedings Friday.

Chase Utley will make his first visit to the disabled list in 2013 with an oblique strain, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

We spoke yesterday about the potential for Utley to visit the DL following him being removed from the lineup on Tuesday due to a pain in his right side, and Thursday's MRI confirmed what many already suspected.

The good news is that the strain is not nearly as bad as it could be, meaning that Utley's stay on the disabled list could be a short one. He could return to the lineup as early as June 6.

Freddy Galvis is the likely to take over his spot on the field and in the lineup, the the Phillies will be making a move to bring up a minor league player to fill out the roster. Given the need for infield depth, the most likely candidate seems to be IF/OF Michael Martinez, with both IF Pete Orr and IF Cesar Martinez as potential replacements.

The 34-year-old Utley was hitting .272/.339/.475 with seven homers in 158 at bats.

In other organizational news, the Phillies recalled RP Michael Stutes from AAA Lehigh Valley on Thursday, and sent down RP Phillippe Aumont.

Aumont, whom this blogger predicted to be a key reliever in 2013, has struggled so far this season, with a 4.15 ERA and 10 walks in 13 innings of work. While he has continued to strike out batters at a good rate (15 K), he's done more harm than good in the middle innings.

Stutes, who proved to be a valuable reliever during his rookie season in 2011, suffered a shoulder injury in 2012 that would cost him the remainder of the season. In 27 innings with the Iron Pigs, the 26-year-old right-hander has a 3.33 ERA and 25 strikeouts.

Firefighters battling an area apartment building blaze this morning made a grisly discovery.

Firefighters on the scene of the Allentown, Pa. apartment blaze told NBC10 that they found a man's body on the floor of a top story unit but that the body appeared to not be related to the fire.

The Lehigh County Coroner's office identifies the man as 46-year-old Richard Chaparro.

A toxicology test is pending, before authorities can determine how he died. Allentown Police and the Allentown Fire Department are both helping with the investigation.

A passerby saw the fire around 3:30 a.m. at a standalone building along the 2400 block of S 4th Street (by Ester Street) and called 911.

Firefighters said that there wasn't much of a fire by the time they got into the top of the building. And, that when they got into the top unit they found Chaparro's body in what appeared to be a total coincidence.

More than three hours after the blaze began, firefighters remained on the scene knocking down some hot spots.

Police were investigating the blaze. A preliminary investigation showed that the fire appeared to have started in a ceiling fan and spread to to the roof. The roof of the structure appeared to be nearly gone.

The Philadelphia "faith-healing" couple charged with murder in the death of their 7-month-old son wre held without bail Thursday afternoon.

Bail was orignally set at $250,00 each for Herbert and Catherine Schaible but Judge Benjamin Lerner said they couldn't post bail ahead of the couple's violation of probation hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday.

The Schaibles face th-rd-degree murder charges.

"Instead of caring and nurturing him, they ultimately caused his death by praying over his body instead of taking him to the doctor," said Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, as he announced the charges late Wednesday afternoon.

The Schaibles are members of the First Century Gospel, a religious group that relies on prayer, rather than medical care.

Their son, Brandon, died on April 18, in what the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's office ruled a homicide. According to his death certificate, Brandon died from bacterial pneumonia, dehydration and group B streptococcus infection.

He is the second child of the Schaibles to die after they used prayer as opposed to medical treatment. Their 2-year-old son Kent died in 2009 from pneumonia.  After Kent's death, the couple was under a court order to seek medical advice if any of their children became ill.

"In the case of Brandon-- it wasn't preventable, but it was treatable," said Dr. Paul Offit, the Chief of  the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Offit says this infection could have been treated with penicillin. He said Brandon would have been "hungry for air" and shown symptoms including lethargy, difficulty breathing and decreased appetite.

According to the medical examiner's report, the Schaibles said Brandon showed these types of symptoms three days before his death.  They admitted to authorities that they did not provide medical care for their child.

Group B strep, often referred to as "baby strep," is found in 25-percent of pregnant women, who carry the bacteria in the rectum or vagina, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

It can be passed from mother to child during delivery, but Dr. Offit says he doesn't think that was the case here.

"This baby (Brandon) was 7 months when he got it, so I don't think it's something he got from his mother when he passed through the birth canal," Dr. Offit said. 

"This child had a right to live," said Dr. Rita Swan, President of CHILD, "Children's Healthcare Is a Legal Duty."

Both Pennsylvania law and the terms of the couple's probation required them to get medical care for this baby, said Dr. Swan. She believes parents should care for their child until they reach an age where they can decide on their own which religious rights to follow.

Dr. Swan says the parents should have known better since they were convicted in the death of their first child. In that case, the Schaibles were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment.

Besides murder charges for Brandon's death, the Schaibles are also charged with involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy and endangering welfare of a child.

The couple's seven other children are currently in foster care.

Dr. Swan says the commonwealth has a duty to safeguard the lives of children, "Pennsylvania has had far too many of these deaths."

According to research done by CHILD dating back to 1971, 30 children in Pennsylvania -- that they know of-- have died after their parents withheld medical care on religious grounds.

The confusing case of a missing college student from Montgomery County, Pa. has been solved.

Matthew Royer, 21, was located in North Carolina -- unharmed -- and has reunited with his family, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

It was exactly one week ago that Royer texted his mother to tell her he was headed home to Schwenksville, Pa. from Rhode Island University.

The drive takes about six hours.

Royer never made it home. Panic quickly set in.

His parents called police, who indicated from the start that whatever was going on with Royer, might be his own doing or decision. Police did pursue the search, treating Matthew's disappearance as a "missing person" case.

In the early days of the investigation, police determined that Matthew did get very close to home -- within an hour -- early Friday morning. Police found evidence that his cell phone reaching a tower in Allentown, Pa. around 2 a.m. They also found surveillance video of Matthew  filling up his car at a gas station in Myerstown, Lebanon County, Pa. around 1 p.m. on Friday. That was the last clue of Royer's whereabouts that police and family shared with the public.

On Sunday, family members and neighbors passed out fliers in an effort to find the missing college student.

Then on Monday, Royer's mother, Janet Royer, made a public plea for her son to please come home or at least contact family members.

"Matthew, if you can hear this, no matter what the circumstances are, your friends and your family, we all love you. We're here for you," she said and asked for him to contact her. "We will come anywhere, anyplace, anytime for you."

At the same news conference, police indicated again that it was likely Matthew made up his own mind not to return home as planned.

Two more days went by with no developments and then on Wednesday, police and family members were giving out conflicting information on Royer's status. Early in the day, police reported he'd been found, but his family insisted that he was still missing. By early afternoon, state police pulled back on their earlier report and said that nothing had changed. Matthew was still missing.

So far, police are not giving out much information on the circumstances surrounding Royer's detour. They are not detailing exactly where he was found in North Carolina, how or why he ended up there instead of going home.

"The family requests that the media not contact them nor reveal his location," police said in a statement.  "They wish to consider this a private and closed matter."

State police also confirmed that taxpayer money helped fund the search because police time and resources were used to assist the family.

Neighbors like Sue Klipp are relieved that Royer is okay.

"It's been terrible for us and it's only been that much more for the immediate family," Klipp said. "I  can't imagine what they've been through. We're just so happy that he's safe."

More than six weeks after a college student's body was found on the side of a rural road, his death remains an open investigation.

Separate, but cooperating investigations continue to determine what killed Millersville University sophomore Kevin Chavez.

The 19-year-old’s injured body was found near a silo along Silver Spring Road in West Hempfield Township, Pa. on the night of April 8.  His car was parked nearby and his cell phone was found on top of the 70-foot-high silo, which sits on a private farm.

In the days following Chavez’s death, Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni said that the Hempfield High School graduate died from multiple traumatic injuries but he wasn’t able to determine a cause of death.

Since then, “joint effort” investigations by both the coroner’s office and West Hempfield Police have been ongoing in hopes of figuring out what killed Chavez, West Hempfield Police Chief Mark Pugliese said.

Police have complied a timeline of events to try and narrow down Chavez’s whereabouts leading up to his death. They don't believe foul play was involved.

Pugliese told NBC10.com that his department has also sent out samples of Chavez’s clothing and some DNA evidence to the state police lab for examination. These tests could possibly help determine if a car struck Chavez or if he fell, according to police.

The coroner’s office is also awaiting tests including blood work and an examination of Chavez’s stomach contents.

“We have shared our findings (so far),” Pugliese said.

Pugliese said there is no timetable for when the test results will be back. Normally tests can take up to eight weeks.

A final ruling on the cause of death will be made by the coroner Pugliese said.

The son of a pastor, Chavez was laid to rest following funeral services in Elizabethtown, Pa. His obituary mentioned his love of golf and his large family including five siblings.

Anyone with information on how he got hurt is asked to call West Hempfield Police at 717-285-5191.

Rubbing alcohol with caramel coloring and “river water” were guised as premium liquor drinks at some New Jersey bars and restaurants.

Those are some examples of what state regulators found after testing drinks during a year-long investigation into alleged liquor substitution at drinking spots across the Garden State.

Code-named “Operation Swill,” the investigation found nearly three dozen drinking holes in New Jersey were filling premium liquor bottles with lesser-quality spirits or no liquor at all.

One example was described as dirty water -- called “river water" by officials.

“It wasn’t just water, it was dirty water," New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said.

Chiesa detailed the findings of "Operation Swill" at at press conference in Trenton, N.J. Thursday morning.

“Our investigation indicates these 29 establishments were allegedly engaging in a scheme to allegedly fool the customer and increase profits,” Chiesa said.

Carried out by the New Jersey AG Office’s Division of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC), agents visited 63 locations around New Jersey in January and February.

ABC Director Michael Halfacre said investigators covertly collected 150 samples from the spots. The samples were taken from "neat" drinks -- meaning they did not have ice or mixers in them.

Halfacre said the samples were then tested by the division using a new rapid testing system called the True Spirit Authenticator.

“We believe this is the first time this technology has been used to this extent in the United States,” Halfacre said. The director characterized the system as a “field sobriety test” for determining liquor types.

The failing results -- 30 in all -- were then sent to 20 premium liquor manufacturers who used gas chromatography to verify they were not the spirits they were purported to be, according to Halfacre.

The brands involved were Finlandia, Smirnoff, Absolut, Grey Goose and Kettle One vodkas; Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire and Gordon's gins; Bacardi Light, Bacardi Dark and Captain Morgan Spiced rum; Johnny Walker Black and Dewar's scotch; Jack Daniel's Black Label, Jim Beam, Knob Creek and Maker's Mark whiskey; and Jose Cuervo Silver, Jose Cuervo Gold and Patron Silver tequila.

In the end, 29 locations were found to have allegedly substituted liquors.

"We reached a point in this case where we were concerned enough about this practice," Chiesa said. "When you think about people going out to dinner...and not getting what they're paying for, it's a problem."

Chiesa says while most of the time, lesser-quality spirits were subbed in, there were a few times when no liquor was used at all.

“They literally just filled it with whatever they had available,” Halfacre said of a sample officials dubbed "river water."

Another sample appeared to be filled with a potentially dangerous substance.

“Another one we believe was rubbing alcohol and caramel color to make it look like it was a whiskey,” Chiesa said. "It's not a healthy situation to have, no it's not designed to consume."

Due to the ongoing investigation, officials said they would not reveal where the non-liquor samples were taken. Chiesa said so far there's no indication anyone has experienced health issues by consuming the drinks containing non-liquor.

On Wednesday, 100 investigators visited each establishment and seized approximately 1,000 bottles of open premium-labeled liquor. Those bottles will be tested again – once by the ABC and also by the manufacturer.

Five funnels were also taken and empty premium liquor bottles were found stashed inside one undisclosed location.

Once those results are returned, state officials say they will decide what action should be taken against the drinking spots.

Halfacre says action will only be taken against the liquor license – by either suspending or revoking the license – not against the bartenders.

Of the 29 locations, eight are in South Jersey. They include: Villari’s Lakeside in Gloucester Township, Camden County, Yesterdays just outside Ocean City, NJ in Marmora, Cape May County, Italian Affair in Glassboro, Gloucester County, Bell's Tavern in Lambertville, Hunterdon County, Graziano's Ristorante in Chesilhurst, Camden County and Sunset Tavern in Burlington Township, Burlington County.

Thirteen of the locations were TGI Fridays restaurants. Eleven locations were in North Jersey and two in Central Jersey -- in East Windsor and Hamilton, Mercer County.

Officials said all of the TGI Fridays locations involved in the operation were run by the same franchisee -- The Briad Group.

In a statement, TGI Fridays called the allegations "serious" and said they are working with the franchise owner.

“We have one of the most extensive bar and beverage programs in the industry, which sets a very high standard in the quality and service of our beverages,” the statement read in part.

There are more than 7,200 bars, restaurants and taverns in New Jersey licensed to sell liquor that can be consumed on the premises, Halfacre said.

Officials said they went after the locations where they either had customer complaints or information from a confidential informant.

"We took the statements that we had and the comments that we had and went after ones we knew we could find something on, or felt we could find something on," Halfacre said.

Officials also say at this point, there is no criminal investigation underway. 

Here's a list of all 29 locations:

1. The Brick House • Wycoff
2. Murray’s • Dover
3. Blackthorn Restaurant • Parsippany
4. Sona Thirteen • Morristown
5. TGI Fridays • East Hanover
6. Cucina Calandra • Fairfield
7. TGI Fridays • Clifton
8. Railroad Cafe • Rutherford
9. TGI Fridays • West Orange
10. Applebees • Kearny
11. TGI Fridays • Springfield
12. TGI Fridays • Linden
13. Ruby Tuesday • Bridgewater
14. TGI Fridays • Piscataway
15. TGI Fridays • North Brunswick
16. Brunswick Grove • East Brunswick
17. TGI Fridays • Old Bridge
18. Cafe 34 • Matawan
19. TGI Fridays • Hazlet
20. TGI Fridays • Marlboro
21. TGI Fridays • Freehold
22. TGI Fridays • East Windsor
23. TGI Fridays • Hamilton
24. Bells Tavern • Lambertville
25. Sunset Tavern • Burlington
26. Italian Affair • Glassboro
27. Villari’s Lakeside • Gloucester Twp
28. Graziano’s Ristorante • Chesilhurst
29. Yesterdays • Marmora

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

A teenager waiting for the bus wound up in the hospital this morning after being struck by a car.

The 14-year-old -- who wasn't identified since he is a minor -- was at the corner of E Lakeshore Drive near Castro Street in Browns Mills, Burlington County, N.J. when he was struck around 7:15 a.m., according to Pemberton Township Police Chief David Jantas.

The teen, believed to be a ninth grader, suffered bruising to his head, arm, hip and leg. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and released, Jantas said.

The child was struck in a residential neighborhood surrounded by trees. It wasn't clear why the teen was crossing the street when he was hit. It also wasn't clear if the bus was anywhere nearby at the time.

The unidentified driver stopped and was cooperating, according to police.

Click here for more local news stories.

The city of Philadelphia has lost key documents proving whether fat tax breaks to some nonprofit institutions are justified.

Schools, hospitals, museums, community groups and other institutions enjoy property-tax exemptions worth millions of dollars each year. In return, they're required to fulfill a charitable mission.

The city's Office of Property Assessment is charged with riding herd over the institutions to make sure they truly qualify for a exemption. But the office is maintaining shoddy, incomplete records, raising questions about whether some groups are entitled to their tax exemptions.

When a nonprofit requests a break, the city is supposed to demand an application and inspect the parcel in person.

Documents missing for 67

The University of Pennsylvania owns more than 110 tax-exempt properties, including those that are partially exempt. When WHYY asked to review the records, city officials could not find applications or inspection reports showing why 67 parcels qualify for tax breaks.

This doesn't seem to be a unique situation. Of 14 properties owned by other tax-exempt nonprofits, ranging from a medical center to a housing group, city officials couldn't locate applications for five.
Michael Piper, OPA's deputy chief assessment officer, said several files disappeared during a move a few years ago.

"I remember one of the administrators that used to work here used to make the statement that, 'The Egyptians would save things for 5,000 years. We can't help but throw them out after 40 or 50 years,'" Piper said. "And I would agree."

That's unacceptable, said City Controller Alan Butkovitz.

"They lost the data in the move? Seriously?" he asked. "The dog ate their homework? What kind of explanation is that?"

Butkovitz, a vocal critic of the OPA's recent reassessment, said the city should go back and verify that the institutions still deserve a tax break.

Paperwork not optional

Nicholas Cafardi, a charity-law expert at Duquesne University, agreed. In fact, he said that if city is missing a nonprofit's application, it must ask for a new one.

"To the extent these documents are missing, they need to be recreated," he said.
Cafardi said that the city should not only maintain its records, but also routinely check them against current law.

A 2012 Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling reaffirmed the so-called "HUP test," a series of strict guidelines that nonprofits must meet in order to qualify for a property-tax exemption. As one example, Cafardi said frat houses may no longer be eligible for a break under the test.

"I don't think [fraternity houses] meet the HUP test," said Cafardi. "Who are they benefiting? They're benefiting primarily their members. ... The HUP test requires you benefit an indefinite group of people who are legitimate objects of charity."

Parking lots could be problem

The University of Pennsylvania owns five fraternity houses whose paperwork has been lost by the city. Cafardi also questioned whether the university's tax-exempt parking lots met the HUP test. The city can't produce some of their records either.

David Glancey, a lobbyist for the University of Pennsylvania, said that you must consider the details of each specific property, including fraternity houses and parking spaces, before determining their eligibility. He welcomed the city to take another look at the university's tax-exempt properties.

"The city has every right to review, to audit," he said.

Soon, the OPA is planning to do just that. Piper said it will start to regularly audit every nonprofit tax break next year, and check to make sure abated properties are paying their taxes.

"Just about everything that the assessment office has done for years," Piper said, "we're trying to look to see if we can try to do better."

He said the the decision was prompted, in part, by WHYY's past reporting on the office's shortcomings.

Earlier this year, WHYY found that Philadelphia had been granting property-tax breaks, including abatements, to more 1,700 tax delinquents. Another report revealed that the city was giving breaks to nonprofits whose tax-exempt status had been revoked by the IRS.

Law would force reviews

The city might soon be forced to reexamine its property-tax exemptions on a regular basis.

A Philadelphia City Council committee is considering a bill Thursday that would require exempt nonprofits to certify every year that they deserve a pass.

Some institutions are concerned that the certification process may be overly onerous.

Councilman Bill Green, who introduced the legislation, believes that it would likely reveal that thousands of property-tax breaks "were granted decades ago and just nobody's looked and paid attention since."

This story was reported through a news coverage partnership between NBC10.com and NewsWorks.org

A new airline has filled in a gap left in airport service between Philadelphia and another northeast metropolis and it could mean big savings for travelers.

JetBlue Airways takes off for Boston from Philly for the first time on Thursday.

The New York-based airline is celebrating the occasion with a party at Philadelphia International Airport including Mummers (it is Philly of course) and a celebration for the first passengers to take off for Boston’s Logan Airport.

The airline will also donate 1776 (an appropriate number for two patriotic towns) books to local groups.

JetBlue plans on multiple daily departures from PHL. The flights mark the airlines first foray into the city’s airport – the airline’s 78th city served from Boston.

US Airways has been the only company to fly directly to Boston since Southwest stopped service more than a year ago. JetBlue’s arrival on the scene could cause a fare war between the air carriers. A flight to Boston on JetBlue costs as little as $39 for special June departure dates.

Didn't have a chance to catch up on local news yesterday? Here's what you missed:

Man Fires AK-47 Inside Club
Police say minutes after two men were kicked out of a gentleman's club, one of them returned, brandishing an AK-47.

Arrest in College Student's Killing
Five days after a college student was last seen, it appeared he had been found, but then even police pulled back on information they released earlier.

Missing College Student No Longer Missing?
Five days after a college student was last seen, it appeared he had been found, but now even police are pulling back on information they released earlier.

"I Just Shot My Girlfriend:" Murder Suspect
A 911 call shortly after noon Tuesday led police to a murder. "I need the police, I just shot my girlfriend," Gregory Twyman told the 911 operator.

Cancer Hats Get Sisters Booted From Mall
Three sisters say they were kicked out of a popular Pennsylvania mall after refusing to remove profanity-laden hats expressing their hatred of breast cancer.

Fighter Sues Sex Shop, Manufacturer Over Pleasure Gel
A competitive martial artist is suing a well-known sex shop and the makers of a gel he says burned and scarred his genitals.

From Hero Cop to Prison's "Most Dangerous"
Former hero Philadelphia Police Officer Richard DeCoatsworth is being held in a prison cell reserved for the city’s most dangerous criminals.

Philadelphia Police Officer Richard DeCoatsworth was a hero cop -- lauded for helping to chase down the man who shot him in the face.

But now, the former officer is the one imprisoned -- in a cell reserved for the city's most dangerous criminals.

DeCoatsworth allegedly forced two women to take drugs and perform oral sex on him at gunpoint on May 18. Two weeks earlier, police say, he also forced one of those women into prostitution at the Days Inn hotel in the Lawncrest section of Philadelphia.

The former officer also allegedly assaulted his live-in girlfriend in a May 9th incident at his home along the 2700 block of Salmon Street in the Port Richmond section of the city, according to authorities.

The 27-year-old is charged with 32 crimes and is being held on a uncharacteristically-high bail of $60 million.

As he awaits further legal action, DeCoatsworth is spending his days in one of three cell blocks at the Philadelphia Prison System’s Detention Center. The 50-year-old facility is one of six prisons at the city’s correctional complex in Northeast Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Prison System spokeswoman Shawn Hawes says DeCoatsworth is being held in what’s called “Close Custody.”

“Close Custody units confine the most dangerous inmates who are considered a severe threat to public safety, correctional staff and other inmates,” she said. “Inmates in Close Custody present the highest risk.”

DeCoatsworth has a trail of questionable incidents levied against him during his handful of years on the Philadelphia Police force. Some of the incidents happened when DeCoatsworth was still in the police academy.

The City of Philadelphia settled one incident of alleged aggressive behavior out of court for $1.5 million.

In 2008, DeCoatsworth was honored as a Top Cop for chasing after a suspect who shot him in the face. Police say he radioed in enough identifiable information about the suspect -- during the chase and before collapsing -- to help other officers catch the shooter.

The officer’s heroism earned him an invitation to sit next to First Lady Michelle Obama during President Barack Obama’s first congressional address at the U.S. Capitol.

DeCoatsworth retired from the police force on disability in December 2011.

He is scheduled for another court appearance on June 17.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.