Fencl hero injured in shootout

Three months ago, city bigwigs like Mayor Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey were lining up to offer Officer Adrian Hospedale congratulations when he won the 2009 George Fencl Award, an award sponsored by the Daily News that honors exemplary officers.

Today, those bigwigs and others lined up at the wounded officer's hospital bed, after robbers fleeing police got into a shootout that left Hospedale with mouth injuries.

Authorities weren't sure whether Hospedale, 44, who is expected to recover, was grazed by a bullet or injured his upper lip and gum as he scrambled to take cover.

The incident started about 10:35 a.m. at the Sunoco gas station at 52nd and Spruce streets, where armored truck guards were restocking an ATM, said police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore.

Two armed thugs approached, demanded money, disarmed one guard and escaped in a dark-colored SUV with money in a large bag, Vanore said. The guards alerted police, and an officer in a marked cruiser quickly spotted the fleeing robbers and gave chase.

The chase wound through West and Southwest Philadelphia, including briefly on the Schuylkill Expressway, with the robbers firing at pursuing police at 49th and Warrington streets, Vanore said.

It ended when the fleeing driver crashed into a parked car at 63rd Street and Grays Avenue, where the robbers again began blasting their guns, Vanore said.

As many as six police officers returned fire; evidence markers at the scene suggested that as many as 55 shots may have been fired.

Hospedale, a 16-year veteran, is in fair condition at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania, where he'll spend the night for observation, said Dr. Patrick Reilly, the trauma surgeon who's treating him.

One robber was injured by gunfire; his condition was unknown. The other robber was taken into custody with no serious injuries. Their names weren't released.

Police found the stolen money and at least two guns in their SUV, Vanore said.

Hospedale's close call came one day shy of a grim anniversary: Officer Isabel Nazario died Sept. 5, 2008, during a police chase, when the unlicensed teen driver she and her partner were pursuing broadsided their cruiser in Mantua.

Hospedale's close call today "is one more example of just how dangerous it is for us out there on the street," Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said. "We're just very pleased that he is going to recover."

Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby agreed: "It's like (the movie) 'Groundhog Day,' over and over and over again. At least this time, the officer's going to be OK. His family's in there sitting with him, and we're not planning another funeral."

The Daily News sponsors the Fencl Award, given yearly (along with $1,000) to the cop who best embodies the qualities Fencl is remembered for: the compassion, professionalism and dedication that make communities safer and more vibrant places to live.

Hospedale, a beat cop in the 12th district, is the 24th Fencl recipient. At the Fencl dinner in June, he told listeners that he loves being a cop so much that, if reincarnation exists, he wants to come back in his next life and serve in blue again.