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Operation Falcon nets targeted fugitives
Police Officer Ashley Hoggard was on patrol in North Philadelphia June 13 when he heard gunshots. Hoggard and his partner, Officer Michael Alexander, rushed to Broad and Somerset Streets, where they found a crowd gathered in front of the Franchise Sports Bar.
More shots erupted as the officers stepped out of their cruiser. Hoggard caught a bullet in his left shoulder. Also hit were several civilians. All survived.
Within the week, three suspects in the shooting were in custody.
The suspects - Lawrence Peel, Dwayne Robinson, and Barry Fleming - were snared in a monthlong dragnet cast by dozens of federal and local law enforcement agencies.
Dubbed Operation Falcon and led by the U.S. Marshals Service during June, the annual sweep netted 338 fugitives in the region. It also cleared 358 warrants, acting U.S. Marshal John Patrignani said.
Nationwide, the operation led to the capture of more than 35,000 fugitives, Patrignani said.
Officials lauded the regional success of the operation at a news conference yesterday.
"The impact of this operation can't be overestimated," U.S. Attorney Michael Levy said. "It's about getting the worst of the worst offenders off the street."
Nearly 100 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers were sworn in as special deputy U.S. marshals before the operation began, allowing them to cross traditional lines of jurisdiction to track down and arrest targeted fugitives.
Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham called the local effort "a national model."
"We feel better," she said, "because this makes our city safer."
Abraham also decried the city's bail system, saying it needs to be fixed.
"Bail in Philadelphia is almost universally ignored. It's a joke," she said. "We have about 20,000 people who are wanted on bench warrants. When a person is arrested, charged, and allowed out on bail, very often he just doesn't show up."
Contact staff writer Sam Wood at 215-854-2796 or samwood@phillynews.com.
