Chopper 6 HD was overhead last night as the 42-year-old Philadelphia police officer was carried on a stretcher into the emergency room at Albert Einstein Medical Center. He suffered a serious eye injury and would later be moved to the Wills Eye Institute in Center City for more specialized treatment.
The ordeal began just before 9:00 p.m. when police were called to the Target in the 7400 block of Bustleton Avenue when employees spotted a man shoplifting. When the suspect ran, police followed.
About a block away, two officers confronted him, but police say he did not surrender without a fight.
Somehow, police say, the suspect grabbed a baton and hit one of the officers across the head. The officer suffered a serious eye injury. Other officers arrived to help, tasering the man twice in an attempt to subdue him. A second officer suffered a minor hand injury as police were finally able to get control of the man and take him into custody.
The officer with the hand injury and the suspect were transported to Nazareth Hospital. That officer was treated and released. The suspect got checked out and is now facing serious charges.
