Teen takes aim at cops in Point Breeze

A pair of patrol cops were riding through Point Breeze Saturday morning when they spotted Tony Burrell’s familiar face.

Officer Anthony Gamble thought Burrell was wanted on a warrant, and told the 19-year-old, at 23rd Street near Reed, to stop walking.

Burrell — with 17 prior arrests — immediately took off running.

When Gamble and his partner, Officer Nathaniel Harper, gave chase, Burrell pulled out a .45-caliber Glock and fired at the cops, according to police records obtained by the

Daily News

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The bullet missed and the officers continued to chase Burrell. The teen tried to get off another shot, but his gun jammed, the records show.

The heart-thumping chase ended when Burrell tripped in an alley between Reed and Gerritt streets, and Harper moved in to make the arrest.

The encounter likely left Burrell and the two officers with a strange sense of deja vu.

On Aug. 7, Burrell crashed an ATV into a police cruiser on Reed Street near 22nd. He ran from police that day as well, but ended up impaled on a row of 6-inch spikes when he tried to jump a fence in an alley, police said.

Gamble and Harper were among the many cops who were on the scene in August when Burrell was removed from the fence.

Burrell was cut loose after the August impalement because he was able to come up with $500 in bail money — 10 percent of the $5,000 bail a judge set, court records show.

He put his freedom to good use. According to court records, Burrell was arrested on Oct. 9 on charges that included burglary and receiving stolen property.

After taking a shot at two cops on Saturday, Burrell’s bail was set at $5 million, and he was held on charges that include attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons violations.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said yesterday that he was curious to see what kind of sentence Burrell would receive for shooting at the two 17th District police officers.

In October, Gov. Rendell signed into law a bill that mandates a minimum 20-year sentence for anyone who shoots at a law enforcement officer.

Based on the bill, Burrell “should get sent away for 20 years. I’ll be surprised if he does, but based on that law, that’s what he should get,” Ramsey said. “Frankly, I think he should get 40 years, but I’m a little tougher.”