An off-duty officer opened fire on a gunman, who tried to mug him as he walked his dog on an Overbrook street -- only a mile from where an eerily similar attempted robbery turned deadly and claimed the life of a local dad.
The suspect approached the off-duty officer near 58th Street and Malvern Avenue, pulled out a gun and demanded money just after 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.
"The off-duty comes home ... and goes to walk his dog. He's minding his own business," said Philadelphia Police Captain Anthony Ginaldi. "It's a chilly night there are not too many people out here. And it appears the assailant took him for a victim."
The officer, a 5-year veteran of the 12th District, pulled out his own weapon and started shooting -- firing eight times, Ginaldi said.
"I think he was pretty much surprised when he found out that he was going to rob an off-duty police office and the officer still has his weapon on him," he continued.
The shots scared off the assailant, who hid behind several parked cars before fleeing the scene, he said.
The suspect remains on the loose. Investigators are checking local hospitals for gunshot victims, although it is unknown if the man was hit, police said.
K-9 units were brought in to try and track the gunman, and a police helicopter searched nearby alleyways by air, officials said. The suspect's face was partially covered by a hoodie, so authorities are working off of a vague description, authorities said.
Along with the victim's five years of service with the Philadelphia Police Department, he also spent two years as an officer in Upper Darby, Ginaldi said.
Last month, three teens -- Tyfine Hamilton, 15, Brandon Smith, 15, and an unnamed 14-year-old boy -- held up 51-year-old James Stuhlman at gunpoint as the dad walked his dog near 64th Street and Woodcrest Avenue in the same section of the city, according to investigators.
Stuhlman, who the trio picked because he looked old and his dog appeared "weak," pled for his life before he was fatally shot, police said.
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While the crimes are not connected, the similarities between the two incidents are alarming.
"It is a sad state that we have to deal with. I don't know that I would call it a trend," Ginaldi said. "It doesn't seem to be the way of life. But it does seem to be a problem."
"You should be aware of your surroundings at all times regardless of where you are and where you go," he warned. "This is the reality of the world we live in today and these are the challenges that we as police officers face every day."
Anyone with information on the latest incident is urged to contact Southwest Detectives at 215-686-3183.
Stay with NBC10 for more on this developing story.
