Two police officers are being praised for using restraint after allegedly being fired upon in Southwest Philadelphia overnight.
The officers were on patrol in the area of 69th Street and Buist Avenue in the Elmwood section of the city around 11 p.m. Wednesday night when they heard gunfire, police said.
The officers went to investigate and saw two men. When they asked the men to stop, they started running, and investigators said one of the men pulled a gun and fired at the officers.
Instead of firing their weapons, the officers put out a detailed description of the men, and within minutes, back-up officers had arrested the alleged shooter on nearby Elmwood Avenue. The officers who were shot at even positively identified the 23-year-old suspect once he was taken into custody.
The officers were praised for not firing back.
"There was no police discharge,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. “They actually did a great job. They showed a lot of restraint and they did not return fire, the circumstances just weren't right at the time. I guess they didn't have a clear shot and they didn't use any deadly force at all."
Not only did the officers get out the information that led to the arrest of the suspected shooter but they also helped a gunshot victim, police said.
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Soon after the shooting, a citizen flagged down the officers who were shot at and directed them to a nearby home on 69th Street where they found a 29-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds to his face and arm.
The officers drove him to the hospital where he was being treated.
The search for the second suspect seen running away from the scene continued Thursday.
Investigators also found two guns in the area, police said.
Police worked overnight to find out if the shooting victim and the two weapons are related to the shooting case involving the officers.
