The incident occurred around 3:00 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Riverside Apartments located in the 100 block of Schuylkill Avenue.
Authorities received a 911 call reporting the sound of gunfire.
When the first officer arrived, police say his patrol car was sideswiped by a VW Passat exiting onto Schuylkill Avenue at a high rate of speed.
Additional officers arrived and the suspect driver turned down an access road adjacent to the Riverside Apartments next to the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
The suspect then fled his vehicle and ran towards the Schuylkill River.
Several police agencies along with firefighters searched for the suspect, but were unable to locate the man or the gun used in the shooting.
The victim was shot at least once in the face and taken to Einstein Medical Center Montgomery.
He was later transferred by medical helicopter to The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in critical condition.
