3 officers injured after shots fired in Upper Darby Township
UPPER DARBY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- Three officers were hurt in Upper Darby after responding to reports of a suspicious person and being shot at overnight. Police say one officer had graze wounds, another was bit by a K-9 officer, and a third was hurt while taking the suspect into custody.
It happened on the 100 block of Terrace Avenue, around 1 a.m. Friday.
Upper Darby police say the officer who was fired upon was not struck by gunfire. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 27 said another officer was injured in the incident.
"It was like five shots, and I don't know if it was like pow, pow, pow, pow, pow with a break in between, or three shots and then two," Laurie Anderson said.
Police say officers were called to a man prowling around a home on Terrace Avenue. Police Superintendent Tim Bernhardt says that's when the suspect opened fire.
"Immediately upon walking onto the property, they were ambushed. That's exactly what it was," he said.
After the shooting, police say the suspect ran off and hid in the neighborhood sparking an hours-long manhunt.
"State police provided us a helicopter which came from Reading," Bernhardt said. "They were able to use the heat sensor and detect a heat source in the rear yard where this man was locating. He was hiding under a swing set.
At around 3 a.m. officers were able to go in and arrest that suspect but Bernhardt says even that wasn't easy.
"So the male violently struggled our officers," he said.
Our cameras were rolling as that officer was released early Friday morning.
Police said the officer who was fired at was alert and talking. We witnessed the other officer arrive at the hospital and he did not appear to be seriously hurt.
According to a neighbor, that second officer was injured while taking the suspect into custody.
It was a frightening Friday morning for residents with a heavy police presence on scene just after 1 a.m. - when many were sleeping.
The chaos unfolded on the front lawn of one of the homes in the neighborhood.
"I got a call from my neighbor to stay inside," resident Jared Fortena said. "And then the police called my husband and we went to the basement for a little bit."
"It's scary, and I was very tired, so I didn't really know what was going on," Fortena added. "But it was not fun."
The suspect was later arrested.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting are unclear at this time but there is no further threat to the community.
In all, Bernhardt says three officers were injured during the shooting and search. All three were treated and released from the hospital. He says he's thankful things didn't end much worse.
"It's a cowardly act what he did, lying in wait. I don't know what would possess anyone to want to inflict harm on anyone, let alone law enforcement," Bernhardt said.
Police have not released the ID of that suspect or what charges that person could be facing.