Cop shoots suspect after chase, tussle

A veteran police officer shot and wounded a suspected armed robber after a car and foot pursuit that ended with the cop and robber wrestling for their lives.

The saga started about 2:30 a.m. yesterday, when an armed man held up the 7-Eleven on Oxford Avenue near Burholme, in Fox Chase, said police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore.

Employees told police that the robber fled in a pickup truck. An officer on routine patrol spotted the vehicle near Oxford Avenue and Magee Street and gave chase, Vanore said. The pickup crashed at Oxford and Benner streets, and the driver ran off, Vanore added.

The officer, a 13-year veteran whose name wasn't released, caught up to him, and a struggle ensued, Vanore said.

During the tussle, the officer fired his gun, hitting the suspect several times, Vanore said. The man, whom police did not identify, was hospitalized at Albert Einstein Medical Center.

Vanore said that police confiscated a semiautomatic handgun from the man's vehicle.

Investigators are probing whether he is the same man who robbed another 7-Eleven on Bridge Street near Almond, in Bridesburg, Vanore said.

In that case, the robber repeatedly pistol-whipped two employees before fleeing on foot with cash.

That robber wore a white scarf or towel over his head and black clothing.