Wounded officer leaves hospital

An officer and a suspect were both shot and wounded
SOUTWEST PHILADELPHIA - September 5, 2009 RELATED SLIDESHOW:Chopper 6 over the scene where the chase ended

Officer Adrian Hospedale was discharged from the Hospital of the UNiversity of Pennsylvania at around 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

Investigators released the names of Brian Williams, 50, and Anthony Reid, 42, both of Philadelphia.

Police say charges of Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Violation of Uniform Firearms Act and other related offenses are pending.

It all began around 10:00 a.m. at 52nd and Spruce Streets in West Philadelphia.

Police say Williams and Reid tried to rob an armored car at a gas station mini-mart there. Police say the guard was putting money in an ATM when he was robbed.

An officer on patrol began pursuing the suspects, who were in a black sedan. During the chase, the suspects allegedly began firing weapons at police.

At least one of those weapons is reported to be an Uzi-style automatic gun.

At one point, at least five police officers fired their weapons at the suspects.

The suspects lead police on a chase onto the Schuylkill Expressway, onto Passyunk Avenue, then ended at 63rd and Grays in Southwest Philadelphia, about two miles from where it all started.

A suspect was shot and wounded by police and taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with gunshot wounds to the torso. He is in stable condition. Police have not said yet which man was wounded.

One officer, Hospenadle of the 12th district, suffered a bullet graze wound to the mouth. He was injured in the lip and gums. It is unclear if he was hit by a bullet or a bullet fragment.

Hospedale was also taken to HUP.

Hospedale is a 23-year veteran of the Philadelphia police force and an associate pastor at the Wynnefield Baptist Church. He was honored in June with the pretigious Fencl Award, given for courage and integrity on the job.

RELATED SLIDESHOW:Officer Adrian Hospedale receiving the Fencl Award on June 15, 2009

Mayor Michael Nutter was at the hospital, where he was very forceful when talking about this incident.

"We're not going to put up with this kind of crap. We're going to do our job, we're not going to live in fear. The officers are going to be out here protecting us on a regular basis," Nutter said.

He also called for anyone with information to come forward.

"Any information that people have, whether it's about these individuals or other individuals who are dangerous, we continue to ask the community to step forward."

John McNesby, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police, called this "Groundhog Day," mentioning that Saturday will mark one year since Officer /*Isabel Nazario*/ was killed on the job. She died after a crash during a pursuit.

An investigation into both the attempted robbery and the pursuit is underway.

Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.