Officer Chuck Cassidy 's killer confessed late last night to reporters in Miami, saying he was sorry for what had happened.

"I apologize to his family. I never meant anything to happen like this," John Lewis said as he was led from Miami police headquarters to a jail cell next to the courthouse where today he is to appear for an extradition hearing. The scene unfolded as the 21-year-old Lewis, accompanied by Philadelphia homicide investigators, was exiting an elevator for the short walk to a prison van.

When asked point-blank by reporters if he had confessed to the killing of Officer Chuck Cassidy , Lewis responded: "Yes. "

Lewis, a high school dropout with a record for drug offenses, said very little afterward.

Dressed in civilian clothes, he looked dazed and fatigued after more than six hours of questioning by detectives who flew to Miami after learning of his arrest in the early morning.

Should Lewis waive extradition today, he could be back in Philadelphia by this evening to face charges in the killing of Cassidy , who was gunned down last Wednesday during a botched robbery of a Dunkin' Donuts in West Oak Lane.

The stunning confession came at the end of a day that began with Lewis' arrest after a staff member at a Miami homeless shelter recognized him as a wanted man.

The staff summoned Miami police, who quickly swooped in and arrested Lewis without a fight, ending a desperate search for the man implicated in a murder that has aroused the passions of a city weary of violent crime.

Within minutes of Lewis' arrest, news flashed north to Philadelphia, and officials scheduled a 9 a.m. news conference.

"In the city of Philadelphia, we do not stand for this kind of violence, nor do we stand for this kind of violence against our police department," Mayor Street said.

"Law enforcement has no boundaries," Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson told reporters. "When a law enforcement officer is killed, it's the entire law enforcement community that suffers. "

As a legion of local and federal law enforcement officers sought Cassidy 's killer, the shooting - caught on surveillance cameras - gripped the city's attention. One section of the tape shows the killer stoop to take the fallen officer's handgun before dashing away. Contributing to the passions was that Cassidy was the third police officer shot in four days.

Cassidy , 54, a father of three and described as a "gentle giant," will be buried today with full honors.

His family, preparing for last night's wake and today's funeral, expressed gratitude through a spokesman.

"We are extremely appreciative of the hard work of the Philadelphia Police Department during the past week and are grateful as well for the efforts of the police officers in Miami," the family said.

A Funeral Mass will be said today at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, with burial at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham.

Lewis' relatives declined to comment yesterday, and hung up on a reporter who telephoned. A sign attached to the door of his grandmother's house on Roosevelt Boulevard read: "No comment. No press. We love you, John. "

Five Philadelphia police detectives yesterday flew to Miami to collect Lewis, pending the extradition hearing. Observing a police tradition, they tucked an extra item into their luggage: the dead officer's chrome handcuffs, which they planned to use to bring Lewis home to face prosecution.

Also yesterday, authorities arraigned a cousin of Lewis', Hakim Glover, 29, on charges of obstruction of justice and hindering arrest. Police said Glover put Lewis on a bus for Florida on Saturday, allowing the suspect to escape only minutes before police closed in on his mother's home on Roosevelt Boulevard.

Yesterday's events began after Arthur Chappell, a caseworker at the Miami Rescue Mission, stared at the image of the wanted man flashing on the local news channel around 6 a.m.