Briefly... CITY/REGION

Police ID South Philly slaying victim

A man who was found fatally shot in an SUV in South Philly earlier this week was identified yesterday as Derrick Warren, 34.

Officer Rafeeq Strickland, a police spokesman, said officers found Warren slumped over the front seat of a Jeep Cherokee on Manton Street near 25th at 11:18 p.m. Wednesday.

Warren, of Beechwood Street near Jackson, had been shot several times in the head, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators had no suspects or motives.

Deadly shooting in North Philly

A man was shot and killed in North Philadelphia last night.

Police said the victim, whose name was not released, was shot in the head on Luzerne Street near Castor Avenue at 5:40 p.m.

He was pronounced dead shortly afterward at Temple University Hospital.

Homicide investigators had no suspects or motives. Tipsters can call 215-686-3334 or -3335.

Gunman gets $162 from Mayfair Pizza Hut

A gun-toting crook stole $162 from a Pizza Hut on Frankford Avenue near Wells Street on Wednesday.

Police said the robber leveled a handgun at a cashier and muttered "Hurry up!" while racking the slide on the gun.

The thief fled on foot. Police described him as a 6-foot-1 white male with a stocky build. He wore a dark-colored shirt, dark pants and dark baseball cap, with the lower half of his face covered by a bandana.

Tipsters can contact Northeast Detectives at 215-686-3153 or call 215-686-TIPS.

Fire engine stops dead

There was a bizarre scene in Southwest Philly about 10 a.m. yesterday, when Engine 69 was suddenly halted on its way to investigate a remote fire alarm that went off in a property on Mario Lanza Boulevard near Lindbergh.

The culprit was the fire engine's drive shaft, which unexpectedly fell out of the vehicle, Executive Fire Chief Peter Crespo said.

Firefighters from Pipeline 40 scrambled to Mario Lanza Boulevard, where they found that the alarm had been tripped accidentally.

Crespo said Engine 69 was using a backup vehicle that was more than 20 years old - and had more than 100,000 miles on it - because its primary apparatus was undergoing maintenance work.

"This is not a frequent occurrence," Crespo said. "If this had been a confirmed emergency . . . we could have had additional resources there within minutes."

- David Gambacorta and Julie Shaw