The attempted robbery happened just before 2 a.m. in the 4200 block of East Cheltenham Avenue in the city’s Wissinoming neighborhood, Philadelphia police said. The 46-year-old victim, identified only as a black male, was found lying at the intersection of Cheltenham and Erdrick streets with gunshot wounds to his buttocks and left ankle. He was rushed to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in stable condition. Police released surveillance video showing the victim and a suspect in a physical altercation spilling off a sidewalk into the street. The victim wrestled the gun away from the first suspect and while he was still on the ground, a second suspect ran down the street and started shooting, the video shows. The victim returned fire and appeared to hit the second suspect at least once. Both suspects, described by police as Hispanic males, retreated into a dark-colored SUV and fled south on Erdrick Street, authorities said. A Philadelphia man was seen on tape turning the tables on two would-be armed robbers as he wrestled a gun away from one suspect and shot a second suspect. Philadelphia Police Department Officers recovered a gun from the scene. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon. The incident comes as Philadelphia continues to grapple with a citywide crime spree. As of Sunday, citywide armed robberies were up 63.21 percent year-to-date, rising to 1,526 from 935 reported in the same period in 2021, according to public police statistics. There have been 2,233 reported shooting incidents across the city year-to-date, a 6.59 percent increase compared to the 2,095 incidents reported during the same period last year, the data showed. Police described both suspects as Hispanic males. Philadelphia Police Department Citywide shooting victims also rose 4.24 percent to 1,229, from 1,179 shooting victims during the same period in 2021, public statistics show. Meanwhile, the data shows that homicides across the city are down 6.48 percent so far this year, from 293 murders reported in the same period in 2021 to 274.
