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A 69-year-old man unloading groceries outside of his home fended off a would-be carjacker armed with a gun late Wednesday morning in Philadelphia's East Mount Airy neighborhood.
Police told NBC10 it was a crime of opportunity, however, the victim didn't let the armed attacker get away with his car, or his life.
It happened shortly before 11:30 a.m. on the 8000 block of Rodney Street.
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Philadelphia police said the man was tending to his groceries in his rear driveway when a 24 year old came up, pointed a gun and said "this is a robbery."
Investigators said the two then got into a struggle and the alleged carjacker bit the victim in the hand.
But then, police said, the older man took control of the accused attacker's gun, and it went off, causing a graze wound to the attacker's stomach.
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Neighbors heard the struggle and called 911, police said. Officers arrested the 24-year-old man in the area moments later. He was taken to the hospital where he's in stable condition.
"We don’t recommend people fighting with people that have guns," Philadelphia Police Capt. John Walker said. "In this situation, it turned out to be a good thing where he was able to wrestle the gun, injure the defendant, and bring him into custody. But we don’t recommend that."
The suspect is facing charges for robbery, carjacking, and other offenses.
"Usually people older are left alone by criminals, but the rules of the game have changed. Kids are getting shot, people that're getting carjacked are in their late 60s,” Walker said. “We’re thankful people...got involved and did the right thing.”
