Philadelphia

Police Officer Shoots Robbery Suspect in Chest After West Philly Pursuit

Plainclothes officer responding to robbery call shoots suspect in the chest after he didn't comply with demands, police say.

A police pursuit in West Philadelphia ended with a robbery suspect shot in the chest by a plainclothes officer the morning after Christmas.

The incident began at Kim's Deli at 52nd and Irving streets around 9 a.m., Philadelphia Police Capt. Sekou Kinnebrew said.

Two men in heavy winter coats could be seen on surveillance video getting into a minor altercation at the store. One of the men then used a gun to rob the other man, investigators said.

About 40 minutes later, an officer responding to the robbery call spotted the suspect's black Chevy SUV around 52nd and Hazel streets, Kinnebrew said. A short time later, a man got into the SUV and drove off.

Plainclothes officers pursued the SUV for about a mile until it collided with a car at 49th and Walnut streets.

A plainclothes officer approached the driver and identified himself as a police officer, Kinnebrew said.

"The operator would not comply with the officer," Kinnebrew said. "The operator made movements, gestures toward his waistband."

The officer then opened fire, striking the man in the chest.

Other officers rushed the driver to the hospital where he was listed in critical condition.

A black SUV with New Jersey tags could be seen with its door open at the corner of 49th and Walnut. Police said the SUV was stolen during an earlier robbery.

Investigators didn't initially say if the robbery suspect was armed at the time he was shot.

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