Video shows assault rifle shooting at Philadelphia strip club

PHILADELPHIA - May 22, 2013

Investigators say 21-year-old Henry Pettigrew is the man seen firing wildly inside the Purple Orchid Gentleman's Club at 3275 South 61st Street back on May 11th.

Pettigrew, and an accomplice, remain at large.

According to police, it was around 1:55 a.m. when Pettigrew and another man were involved in a dispute with club management and bouncers.

Police say Pettigrew requested a song and the DJ refused to play his request which led to the dispute.

As the bouncers tried to remove them, Pettigrew and the other man got into an altercation with the bouncers.

The two then mistook an innocent customer who was just walking in as one of the bouncers and they assaulted him. That man then attempted to get away in his SUV when police say Pettigrew emerged with the AK-47 and fired a number of shots at the fleeing vehicle striking the man above his right hip.

"Fortunately where it hit him, it hit the flesh of his body and it didn't hit any vital organs," Lt. Johnny Walker of the Philadelphia Police Department said.

Surveillance video then shows the suspect running into the club while brandishing the rifle. He moves to open a door but slips and falls, due to being very intoxicated, police say.

VIDEO: Watch the surveillance video on PhillyPolice.com.

The man then gets up, opens the door, brings up the gun and opens fire.

The video shows multiple muzzle flashes and debris flying as round after round are fired.

"Just wildly, obviously with an AK-47 with a banana clip, it can fire multiple rounds at a high rate of speed very quickly," Walker said.

He then went into the bar area. The DJ dove for cover as Pettigrew fired indiscriminately.

"You see one of the bullets actually strike the mirror right where [the DJ's] head would have been, so we're very fortunate the person did not get struck by the gunfire," Walker said.

The camera then shows the gunman turning around and running out of the club.

Police say Pettigrew and his getaway driver whose identity is unknown to them got away in a light colored sedan, possibly a Hyundai or Mitsubishi.

With the gunman and getaway driver still on the loose, a number of workers at the Purple Orchid quit their jobs.

Henry Pettigrew is described as a black male standing 5'11" tall, weighing 180 pounds. He also has a thin beard.

Pettigrew's last known address is in the 5500 block of Belmar Terrace.

The man who was with him was described as a black male about 20 to 25 years old, standing 5'9" to 5'10" tall with a medium build and a goatee. He was wearing a dark hooded jacket over a plaid button shirt, tan cargo shorts and tan boots.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS (8477), text a tip to PPD TIP (773847) or through PhillyPolice.com.

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