Police shot a gun-wielding hit-and-run suspect after a chaotic car chase through the King of Prussia Mall parking lot on Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The shootout happened at the height of holiday shopping.
The situation unfolded around 2:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Seasons 52 restaurant on mall property after the suspect crashed his red Nissan Juke while fleeing from police, the Upper Merion Police Department said in a statement.
The suspect exited the disabled vehicle and approached a police officer with a 9mm gun in hand, police said.
The suspect and an officer exchanged gunfire, according to authorities, and the suspect was shot at least twice. He was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while the officer was not struck and was uninjured, police said.
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"The actions of the officer in this case were heroic," Upper Merion Township Police Chief Thomas Nolan said at a press conference. "It’s a miracle that the officer was not injured, and that we don’t have a worse situation."
Upper Merion Township police added that the situation unfolded in the Green Deck of the mall's parking garage, when a bicycle officer spotted the red Nissan that police suspected was involved in the earlier hit-and-run crash. After fleeing at high speed, the suspect was attempting to exit the mall's property on Mall Boulevard near North Gulph Road before getting stuck in traffic, police said.
Upon seeing a police cruiser in the rear view mirror, the suspect attempted to get away by driving off a four-foot ledge into the parking lot of the Seasons 52 restaurant, police said. It was there where the exchange of gunfire occurred.
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The 27-year-old suspect is expected to be arraigned in Montgomery County on Monday.
