Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Officer Shoots Man Who Pulled Gun During Traffic Stop at Lindbergh and Eastwick

A Philadelphia police officer shot a man during a traffic stop in Southwest Philadelphia on Thursday morning after police said the driver fought with two officers, went back to his car and pulled out a firearm with a loaded extended magazine.

The stop happened just before 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 12, in the area of Lindbergh Boulevard and Eastwick Avenue, the Philadelphia Police Department said. Two officers in a marked car stopped a white Chevy Malibu. Police said the driver became very erratic, stepped out of the car and engaged in a physical altercation with the officers.

Taser had no effect, police say

Both officers tried to use a taser on the man, but it had no effect, according to police. Officials said the man then went back to his vehicle and pulled out a firearm with a loaded extended magazine. One officer discharged his gun and the man was struck.

Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore gave the department account of the encounter to NBC10 Philadelphia. The driver was taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital and was undergoing surgery, Vanore said. His condition was not known on Thursday. Police have not identified the man.

No officers were injured in the incident. The officer who fired is on leave, per department policy, and the department is investigating. Police said additional information will be released as it becomes available.

An Eastwick intersection near the airport

Lindbergh Boulevard and Eastwick Avenue sit in the Eastwick section of Southwest Philadelphia, a residential area near the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge and Philadelphia International Airport. Television footage from above the scene on Thursday morning showed a heavy police presence at the intersection and a white sedan still at the scene as investigators worked.

Police have not said why the Malibu was stopped. They have not said how many shots the officer fired, and they have not released the name of the officer. The man who was shot has not been charged in any account released on Thursday, and police have not said what charges, if any, he could face.

Officer involved shootings in Philadelphia are investigated under department policy, and the officer who fired is placed on leave while the investigation runs. That is the status police gave on Thursday: one man in a hospital, one officer on leave, and an investigation open into a stop that turned into a fight and then gunfire in under a few minutes on a weekday morning.