It happened at a tavern located on the 3300 block of Brighton Street in the Mayfair section of the city.
Two off-duty Philadelphia police officers were at McNally's Tavern, their neighborhood watering hole, watching the Yankees game last night.
A young man came in just before 11:00 p.m. and ordered a drink but could not produce ID so he was turned away.
Police say a few minutes later that young man returned with two other males wearing hoodies pulled up to hide their faces. The men, in their late teens or early twenties, were armed and announced a robbery while pointing their guns at the patrons inside the bar.
One of the suspects pointed a gun at or near one of the officer's head. The officer threw his money on the ground. The suspects robbed one of the officers of his police ID and badge, which have not been recovered.
When the suspect went to get the money off the floor, one of the off-duty officers "engaged" the suspects with his weapon inside the bar, firing several times.
The suspects ran out of the bar with the police officer in pursuit. He announced that he is an officer and fired several more times.
The suspects got away.
Later, a young man showed up at Albert Einstein Medical Center with a gunshot wound through the chest.
The car that dropped him off matched the description of the vehicle that fled the bar scene.
Police put out a vehicle description. That car with several people inside was later stopped on Mascher Street in Olney where police took several people into custody.
At least four people are being questioned now at Northeast Detectives. Despite the lack of surveillance inside the bar, police feel confident they are the hold-up suspects.
The weapon fired in the incident was the officer's personal firearm – not his department issued weapon. That officer is a 7-year veteran of the police force. He will be placed on desk duty during the police investigation.
Neither officer was injured.
Police say they have a lot of work yet to do as the investigation continues.
