Crime scene markers tell the story in the 1800 block of North 18th Street which police say began with an attempted home invasion.
35-year-old Claudette Brown tells police she and a 22-year-old man were in the home when three men barged in with guns.
"One of the complainants was able to run out of the property and flag down a highway patrol unit that was responding or nearby. The officers immediately went up to the location; one officer took the front, one officer took the back," Captain Kevin Hodges of the Philadelphia Police said.
At the front door, police say the highway patrol officer spotted the suspects through a first floor window, when suddenly one of them fired at him. The officer returned fire. Police say the suspects then try to make their getaway through the back door, not knowing the other officer was back there:
"The three suspects ran out the back, an exchange of gunfire took place back there," Captain Hodges said.
At this point, two of the suspects were arrested, but a third managed to make a run for it; at one point police say he was hiding behind the Alliance for Progress charter school at Gratz and Cecil B. Moore where an after school program was under way.
Marvin Lewis says this was his first day on the job as the schools security guard when police told him to lock down the building.
"I guess they didn't want to take no chances because he was still on the run, so they didn't have him in custody so I guess people do anything to escape," Lewis said.
A K-9 unit managed to track down the third suspect who was hiding in a nearby building. He was quickly apprehended by police without incident.
Fortunately none of the officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire, but one of suspects suffered a gunshot wound to the arm. He was rushed to Temple University Hospital where he was reported to be in stable condition.
Detectives are still trying to get to the bottom of this and learn more about the home invasion including what it was the suspects were looking for. The two victims are said to feel lucky they were not injured during their ordeal.
