Police: Cops shoot armed suspect in West Philadelphia

A cop shot and wounded a man in West Philadelphia early Wednesday morning after authorities say he leveled a loaded revolver at plainclothes officers during a scuffle.

The plainclothes cops were in an unmarked car in the area of Conestoga Street near Pennsgrove after police received a complaint that men on bicycles were dealing drugs in the area, said Chief Inspector Scott Small. Just after midnight, the officers spotted the 20-year-old suspect riding a bike on Conestoga Street with a gun on his hip.

The cops approached the man, Small said, and he pulled the gun on them. He struggled with the officers and refused to drop the gun after police ordered him to do so several times, prompting one officer to fire once at him, hitting him in the chest.

"The officers showed a lot of restraint by only firing one time," Small said at the scene.

The wounded suspect was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was in critical condition and undergoing surgery around 1:30 a.m.

Police recovered his gun, a loaded .38-caliber revolver, at the scene, Small said.

Crime-scene investigators and detectives remained at the scene investigating the shooting around 2 a.m.