“This is the height of lawlessness and it is completely unacceptable behavior in a civilized society. It is despicable and morally bankrupt.”
CREDIT: Law Enforcement Today – Mitch McKinley – September 20, 2020
These were the words of Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia City Council Majority Leader, after a man on a bike opened fire on 3 police officers in an unmarked car.
Parker added that she was relieved that none of the officers were seriously injured.
“This was a situation that could have ended up a lot worse,” she said.
The officers’ names have not been released, as they are part of an undercover narcotics operation.
They were riding in an car around 8 pm on Friday night.
While driving through a neighborhood, a man on a bicycle pulled up alongside of them. When the driver rolled down his window, the cyclist pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
The officer accelerated and ran into a fence, crashing his car.
According Sgt. Eric Gripp, a department spokesman, the man on the bike continued shooting. One of the bullets pierced the car door, went through the driver’s seat, striking that officer in the back.
NBC 10 reports that Gripp stated that the bulletproof vest he was wearing probably saved his life.
The officers were able to dismount the vehicle and returned fire. That is when rounds from another shooter came their direction.
Police say that a second gunman was positioned further down a different street opened fire. After firing a few more rounds, both gunmen fled the scene, going in unknown directions.
The female officer sustained cuts on her leg. The third officer was fortunately uninjured. The two officers were transported to Einstein Medical Center. They were both treated and released early Saturday.
Both subjects are still on the run. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the subjects in the shooting.
“Our officers were ambushed for simply doing their jobs, working to get drugs and guns off our streets,” Lodge President John McNesby said. “This brazen disrespect of law enforcement is unacceptable.”
Police believe that bike-riding suspect is 28-year-old Jeffione Thomas.
This male is wanted in connection of an attempted murder of three of my officers within Northwest Police Division last night by firing a gun at them in the 14th District. If you have any info on this male please call 215 686 -TIPS, so we can apprehend this male!!! pic.twitter.com/FM8BQx7U3X— DeShawn Beaufort (@PPDBeaufort) September 19, 2020
Gripp described him as 5’7″ tall and approximately 180 pounds. The second gunmen was not identified.
Gripp says that both men are wanted for attempted murder and other related charges. ABC 6 reported that there was a cell phone found at the scene that helped identify the first shooter.
It is unknown if this was a coordinated attack on the officers or two random people who just happened to have guns and started firing. The latter seems highly unlikely, as the quantity ambushes of law enforcement is continuing to rise.
Below are just a few examples.
PHOENIX, AZ — A 17-year-old is in custody after reportedly firing a rifle at Department of Public Safety troopers Thursday morning in Phoenix, and authorities are searching for a second suspect in connection with the incident.
Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesman Capt. Jesse Galvez said during a press briefing that the shooting occurred right before 9 a.m. local time on Thursday.
Two detectives were in an unmarked car in police attire in the area for an ongoing operation, he said, when a silver, four-door Infiniti with custom wheels and a temporary plate “pulled up next to them and honked their horn.”
While the operation was not described, Galvez said the troopers “were in the community helping with an operation to make this community safe and simply doing their job.”
The vehicle has a temporary plate & appears to have chipped paint below the license plate area. If you see this vehicle, please call 9-1-1 immediately.— Dept. of Public Safety (@Arizona_DPS) September 17, 2020
A teenage male passenger, described as Hispanic, then got out and started firing a rifle at two DPS detectives, Galvez said.
The suspect was later identified as Luis German Espinoza Acuna at a press conference held Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. local time.