What to Know
- A block captain and van owner interrupted the theft of a catalytic converter from a parked van in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood early Wednesday.
- "They were actually underneath the van in the process of stealing a catalytic converter," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
- The block captain was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his chest.
A Philadelphia block captain was shot while confronting a trio of thieves stealing a catalytic converter from under a van in the Germantown neighborhood Wednesday morning.
Just after 5 a.m. police officers responded to West Pomona Street at Germantown Avenue to find a man in his 50s shot in his chest, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
The man was bleeding but conscious as he was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery.
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"He is expected to survive" despite being listed in critical condition, Small said.
"This block captain was very brave trying to protect his block from these thieves," Small said.
The man, who is the block captain, told investigators he was with the owner of a van when they approached a trio "clearly cutting the catalytic converter from underneath this parked van," Small said.
The men came out from under the van, at least one of them armed, and started to run toward a parked, police said. The block captain pursued them.
"One of thieves... fired at least one shot, striking the block captain," Small said.
The men drove off in a gray or silver four-door sedan that drove off south on Germantown Avenue, investigators said.
Police found a small electric saw with a laser light and some other tools under or near the van. Police hoped to pull evidence from those left-behind items.
Catalytic converter thefts has spiked nationwide, more than quadrupling from 2019 to 2021, according to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Thieves are taking the car part due to a surge in the value of the metals they contain, reports NBC News.
A neighbor on West Pomona Street told investigators that a catalytic converter was stolen off her vehicle just last weekend.
Small said investigators were trying to figure out if the catalytic converter thefts are related and if they are part of a larger ring.
Police hoped that surveillance cameras would help them track down the thieves.
Police did recover a weapon at the scene that belongs to the block captain, investigators said.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
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