PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia police officer was ambushed by a man while sitting in his marked cruiser, and was in stable condition Friday after being shot three times in his left arm, officials said.
Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the suspect fired a total of 13 shots that hit Officer Jessie Hartnett and his car late Thursday. He said the officer returned fire, hitting his assailant at least three times.
“This is absolutely one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen,” Ross said at a news conference early Friday. “This guy tried to execute the police officer. The police officer had no idea he was coming.”
The suspect ran away, but was quickly apprehended by other officers.
Ross said there was no apparent motive for the attack.
There was no immediate word on the suspect’s condition. Officer Christine O’Brien said the suspect was stuck at least once in the buttock.
Jim Kenney, who is in his first week as mayor of the nation’s fifth-largest city, said, “There are just too many guns on the streets and I think our national government needs to do something about that.”
His statement comes on the heels of President Barack Obama announcement on Tuesday of his plan to tighten control and enforcement of firearms in the U.S.
___
Associated Press writers Joscelyn Paine and Bob Lentz contributed to this report.
Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart's Facebook Page.