PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to years behind bars after pleading guilty for a second time to shooting at three police officers nearly five years ago.
It happened Sept. 18, 2020, in the city's Cedarbrook neighborhood, near East Sharpnack and Fayette streets. Jeffione Thomas, 33, admitted he was riding his bike past officers around 8 p.m. when he fired into the unmarked vehicle, striking one officer in a bulletproof vest while another was injured by shrapnel.
A second man, who has never been arrested or identified, also fired at the officers, authorities said.
According to prosecutors, DNA from the bike and a cell phone left at the scene matched with Thomas, and officers identified him through a photo.
Thomas first pleaded guilty in 2023 but later withdrew his plea. He pleaded guilty again to three counts of aggravated assault, and as part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped the remaining charges.
He was sentenced to nine to 18 years in prison.