Following a chase on a busy pre-Christmas shopping weekend, police shot an armed hit-and-run suspect Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of the King of Prussia Mall, according to authorities.
The suspect, a 27-year-old Philadelphia man, was described as a suspect by Upper Merion Township Police Chief Thomas Nolan, who did not reveal his identification because the guy had not yet been charged.
Nolan stated Sunday night that the suspect was being accompanied by police at the hospital and that it was conceivable that he would be freed and transported to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
The policeman wasn’t hurt.
The Sunday before Christmas, according to retail space, you have the biggest shopping mall in the nation, Nolan added. It might have turned out very, very differently.
Police shot an armed hit-and-run suspect Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of the King of Prussia Mall after a chase on a busy pre-Christmas shopping weekend, authorities said. https://t.co/1bsoXBgNzV
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) December 19, 2022
Around 2:30 pm, according to Upper Merion police, the mall’s Green Deck area was the scene of a hit-and-run collision. According to Nolan, the victim of the hit-and-run was able to take a picture of the suspect’s car.
A red Nissan Juke attempted to leave the mall property through the Seasons 52 steakhouse exit, which links to North Gulph Road, as a bike officer rushed to the scene, police claimed.
When a marked patrol car approached the Juke as it was stalled in traffic, the driver decided to turn right, jump the curb, and drive into the steakhouse parking lot and off a four-foot stone wall, where the car became inoperable, according to the police.
The driver of the Juke disembarked while brandishing a 9mm weapon, according to police, as the pursuit officer got out of his car and walked up to it. Both he and the officer fired their weapons, but according to Nolan, the authorities believe the suspect fired first based on what they are aware of.
The suspect was sent to Paoli Hospital with non-life-threatening wounds after being shot at least twice in the legs. According to Nolan, he will likely face criminal charges.
Despite video from the incident showing the red automobile being hit with numerous bullets, Nolan did not immediately provide the number of shots that were fired.
Nolan stated that police are still gathering security footage from various areas of the mall and that they were able to obtain statements from persons who were in the parking lot at the time of the incident.
According to the police department’s policy involving officer-involved shootings, the case is being investigated by the Montgomery County Detectives Bureau, and the officer involved is currently on administrative leave.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the Upper Merion Township Police Department at 610-265-3232, according to the authorities.
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