The incident happened before 2:00 a.m. Tuesday at the Good Good takeout restaurant on the 300 block of East Cambria Street.
Action News spoke to one of the victim's friends. He doesn't want to be identified but says he was inside when it happened.
Investigators say a gunman walked in and announced a robbery.
"He pulled the gun out and then he pointed it to the ground, then he pulled the trigger back. This when he tells me, 'You know what it is,'" he said.
Fearing for his life, the 54-year-old says he made a split second decision to make a move for the gun.
"Once he said, 'You know what it is,' I grabbed him and started wrestling with the gun. The gun went off and hit my friend, then when we were on the ground another shot went off and hit my friend again," he said.
The victim's friend says he was able to get control of the gun and toss it across the floor of the waiting area.
"At that point in time, a female, unknown black female enters the location. She tries to assist the doer and get him out of the location," said Lt. John Stanford, Philadelphia Police.
The gunman and his female accomplice fled in a dark colored SUV, possibly a Dodge Durango.
The victim who was shot is identified by friends as Mo Muhammad. He was rushed to Temple University Hospital with a gunshot wound to the stomach where he remains in stable condition.
"Nice guy man, nice guy man. He didn't deserve that man but he was trying to help me," he said.
Meanwhile police are working to retrieve surveillance video to assist in their investigation.
