PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Police Department has released new surveillance video related to the shooting of a Germantown man who witnessed a car theft last week.
Authorities are looking for four men they say were stealing a catalytic converter from a car parked on Pomona Street, right off Germantown Avenue, last week.
On Wednesday, Aug. 17, around 4 a.m., police say, when the car’s owner and another witness confronted the group, they ran. One of the men pulled out a semi-automatic gun, equipped with a laser sight, and fired.
The witness, a 52-year-old neighborhood block captain, was hit once in the chest and taken to the hospital. He is now home and recovering.
The gunshot can be heard on the video.
Two of the suspects immediately fled in a four-door silver sedan, while the other two ran away down the 6300 block of Germantown Avenue, toward Washington Lane.
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The suspects are believed to be young men, between 17 and 25 years old, who live in the area. One of them was caught on surveillance video wearing a Halloween-style mask.
Philadelphia Police Capt. John Walker said catalytic converter thefts don't usually get violent.
"They're fast moving and they're lucrative, because they're anywhere from $600 to $1,200 depending on where you take them to. Normally, people do not carry weapons but in this situation, this person did,” Walker said.
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"It's a whole different thing when you're out there stealing items in the middle of the night compared to where you're going to shoot somebody. Especially a guy who's trying to do good for his community, doing the right thing ... should not have to be sitting in the hospital worrying about his life going forward because of people committing petty thefts are now working as bodily criminals."
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police or text a tip to 215-686-8477, or submit a tip online. All tips will be confidential. Anyone who sees these suspects is advised not to approach them, but to call 911 immediately.