Knife-wielding man shot by SEPTA police after stabbing 3 people, including unarmed security guard

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- An investigation is underway after a SEPTA police officer shot a knife-wielding man who allegedly stabbed three people, including an unarmed security guard in Center City Philadelphia.

The shooting happened around 8 p.m. Monday at Broad Street and S. Penn Square outside of City Hall after police got a call about a 48-year-old man down on the northbound platforms at the Walnut-Locust Station trying to slash people walking by.

"I'm told preliminary that it seems unprovoked, that the individual came into the station and started making slashing motions just at people walking by," said SEPTA Police Chief Chuck Lawson.

SEPTA police said an unarmed security guard approached the man, who went on to stab her in the neck. He then slashed at least two passengers before fleeing the platform.

SEPTA police quickly converged on the scene. As the suspect emerged from the station, there was a short chase before an officer deployed his Taser.

Lawson said the Taser was ineffective and that's when a six-year veteran of the SEPTA Transit Police Department shot the armed suspect at least three times, wounding him.

"I seen the transit cops. They was coming from the south side of Broad Street and when they came this way, they shot the guy with the Taser. When they shot the guy with the Taser, he ran in that direction. When he ran in that direction over there, they ended up shooting him three times and he went down," recalled Lamar Hargrove of North Philadelphia.

"We were hanging Christmas lights in our window right here, and all of a sudden we just heard four loud gunshots. We looked out there and there was a man on the ground, and like nine or 10 police officers around him," said Karl Bratty, who witnessed the incident.

A crime scene unit could be seen outside City Hall Monday night, as well as shell casings and two knives on the ground.

The suspect was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.

All three victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Some riders are questioning their safety and SEPTA security.

"It definitely makes me want to be more aware of my surroundings and what's going on, and it does make me a little nervous," said Lyle Boyd of South Philadelphia.

Lawson says this serves as just one more reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face on a regular basis.

"The city has become violent. We've seen things, we've seen this on SEPTA over the year. We are dealing with an angry population who arming themselves with weapons and using them over senseless arguments," said Lawson.