PHILADELPHIA, PA – It’s happened again.
“This is the height of lawlessness and it is completely unacceptable behavior in a civilized society. It is despicable and morally bankrupt.”
These were the words of Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia City Council Majority Leader, after a man on a bike opened fire on 3 police officers in an unmarked car.
Parker added that she was relieved that none of the officers were seriously injured.
“This was a situation that could have ended up a lot worse,” she said.
The officers’ names have not been released, as they are part of an undercover narcotics operation.
They were riding in an car around 8 pm on Friday night.
While driving through a neighborhood, a man on a bicycle pulled up alongside of them. When the driver rolled down his window, the cyclist pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
The officer accelerated and ran into a fence, crashing his car.
According Sgt. Eric Gripp, a department spokesman, the man on the bike continued shooting. One of the bullets pierced the car door, went through the driver’s seat, striking that officer in the back.
NBC 10 reports that Gripp stated that the bulletproof vest he was wearing probably saved his life.
The officers were able to dismount the vehicle and returned fire. That is when rounds from another shooter came their direction.
Police say that a second gunman was positioned further down a different street opened fire. After firing a few more rounds, both gunmen fled the scene, going in unknown directions.
The female officer sustained cuts on her leg. The third officer was fortunately uninjured. The two officers were transported to Einstein Medical Center. They were both treated and released early Saturday.
Both subjects are still on the run. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the subjects in the shooting.
“Our officers were ambushed for simply doing their jobs, working to get drugs and guns off our streets,” Lodge President John McNesby said. “This brazen disrespect of law enforcement is unacceptable.”
Police believe that bike-riding suspect is 28-year-old Jeffione Thomas.
Gripp described him as 5’7″ tall and approximately 180 pounds. The second gunmen was not identified.
Gripp says that both men are wanted for attempted murder and other related charges. ABC 6 reported that there was a cell phone found at the scene that helped identify the first shooter.
It is unknown if this was a coordinated attack on the officers or two random people who just happened to have guns and started firing. The latter seems highly unlikely, as the quantity ambushes of law enforcement is continuing to rise.
Below are just a few examples.
PHOENIX, AZ — A 17-year-old is in custody after reportedly firing a rifle at Department of Public Safety troopers Thursday morning in Phoenix, and authorities are searching for a second suspect in connection with the incident.
Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesman Capt. Jesse Galvez said during a press briefing that the shooting occurred right before 9 a.m. local time on Thursday.
Two detectives were in an unmarked car in police attire in the area for an ongoing operation, he said, when a silver, four-door Infiniti with custom wheels and a temporary plate “pulled up next to them and honked their horn.”
While the operation was not described, Galvez said the troopers “were in the community helping with an operation to make this community safe and simply doing their job.”
A teenage male passenger, described as Hispanic, then got out and started firing a rifle at two DPS detectives, Galvez said.
The suspect was later identified as Luis German Espinoza Acuna at a press conference held Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. local time.
Luis German Espinoza Acuna identified as a suspect who shot at two troopers in Phoenix.
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The troopers were able to exit their vehicle and return fire. At that point, the driver sped off, leaving the passenger behind. The troopers were not shot during this incident.
Vehicle that troopers were sitting in when ambushed by a shooter with an assault rifle.
The 17-year-old suspected shooter was taken into custody and the weapon was seized, but the search for the driver, believed to be a Hispanic male in his late teens, continues, according to KTAR News. No injuries were reported.

At noon, a Blue Alert was activated, triggering alarms on cellphones across the Valley. The Blue Alert is a rarely used system that DPS can use when a suspect is on the loose after a law enforcement officer has been assaulted.
“The goal of the Blue Alert is to protect the public and officers through efficient information dissemination and communication that results in quick and safe apprehension of suspect(s) when such attacks occur,” according to the DPS website.
As of this writing, the second suspect is still at large, and anyone who spots the vehicle or has any information should immediately call 911.
In the meantime, the hunt is still on for the gunman who ambushed two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officers on September 12th.
Now, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva tells ABC News that he has warned deputies to watch out for more possible attacks. Villanueva said:
“This is going to cause us to be a lot more concerned about when we approach vehicles when we’re out there on the streets,”
He went on to say:
“We have everybody paired up in two-man vehicles now. So, we’re going to have to be watching out for each other’s back out there on the streets.”
Villanueva said that the LA County Sheriff department is using all the resources at their disposal to aid in the search for the gunman. He pressed the immediate need to identify the dangerous suspect and get him off the streets before he’s able to strike again.
The FBI has joined in the search for the gunman, and announced it is lending resources to the manhunt and “stands ready to assist in response” to the attack.
On Sunday, the The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gunman.
In addition, many have made anonymous donations to aid in the arrest of the suspect.
Villanueva told ABC News that despite being shot four or five times, including once in the jaw, the female deputy walked around the patrol vehicle to help her 24-year-old partner, who suffered gunshot wounds to his forehead, arms and a hand.
He said:
“He’s bleeding out profusely from the arm so she actually applies a tourniquet to his arm to stop the bleeding and she tries to call for help on the radio,
“It’s pretty heart-wrenching and she’s trying to mumble and we finally get her … she says where she is at and the fact that there was a shooting, and that got all the help rolling in her direction.”
Villanueva said after exiting their patrol car, the wounded deputies hid behind a column because:
“They didn’t know if the gunman was going to come back or not and they’re obviously both disabled and injured, very gut-wrenching to see the video and the heroic efforts from both of them to get to safety and still manage to take care of each other,”
It has just been reported that the 24-year-old male deputy that was shot in the forehead, arms and hands has been released from the hospital.
He’s not the only one issuing a warning.
The president for the National Fraternal Order of Police has issued an alert to police officers nationwide to remain vigilant in the wake of increased and deadly attacks and ambushes against law enforcement this year.
There are many videos in this article that contain graphic language and images, so viewer discretion is advised.
In a Sept. 15 press release, National Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes issued the following alert to all members of law enforcement:
“Brothers and sisters, as our nation becomes increasingly divided during this unprecedented time, law enforcement officers are the keepers of the peace and stand firm on the thin blue line, placing themselves between order and anarchy.
“For this reason, our officers are targets and may be subject to attack at any point—without warning and without reason. Therefore, I am urging all of our nation’s law enforcement officers to be vigilant.
“Exercise caution at all times.
“Be aware of your environment and surroundings.
“Maintain constant situational awareness.
“Be prepared.
“Take every reasonable precaution when engaging with the public.
“Watch your back—and that of your partner.
“Do not take unnecessary chances and call for backup when needed.
“Keep yourself and your communities safe by being vigilant on duty and off. There are individuals who are motivated solely by a desire to hurt or kill a police officer, so do not let your guard down.
“Be safe and may God protect us all.”
In June, we reported on David Ware, 32, who police say shot two officers during a traffic stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both officers were shot, and one died.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum recently released the following statement:
“The body camera footage from the murder of Sergeant Craig Johnson and the attempted murder of Officer Aurash Zarkeshan is being released this morning. As the CEO of the City government, I felt a responsibility to watch it. I just did, and can’t say this strongly enough: if you do not have to watch this video for your job, don’t watch it.
“I have to watch a lot of body camera footage as part of my job. I can only think of two times in my life – upon the death of family members – when I wept like I did watching the conclusion of this video. It is terrible.
“I understand the legal reasons for its release. I respect the citizens’ right to see the actions of their officers.
“But if you revere these brave men as I do, then don’t watch this video. Don’t share it. Just say a prayer for them, their families, and all who risk their lives to keep us safe.”
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In the Compton section of Los Angeles, two Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies were shot multiple times on Sept. 12 by a gunman who ambushed the officers sitting in their vehicle.
Authorities announced a $100,000 reward on Sunday in connection with the manhunt of the lone gunman responsible for shooting both deputies as they sat in their patrol vehicle at a Metro rail station in Compton.
Without provocation, surveillance video shows the suspect approach the patrol car and open fire. The suspect fled on foot. He was only described as a dark-skinned male, between the age of 28-30, wearing dark clothing.
After the shooting, the female deputy can be seen on surveillance video struggling to place a tourniquet on her partner even as she herself is bleeding from gunshot wounds. Sheriff Alex Villanueva explained:
“She helped the other wounded deputy, got on the radio, provided medical care, got him to a place of safety ’cause they didn’t know if there was another attack coming their way.”
Witnesses to the ambush laughed instead of helping the officers.
Then once the officers were rushed to a hospital for treatment of their serious injuries, protesters blocked the emergency room entrance and chanted, “We hope they die!”
Both deputies incurred multiple gunshot wounds and are reported as recovering from surgery in stable condition at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.
A GoFundMe account has been established by a department deputy working with the union to raise funds for the wounded deputies and has raised $555,978 as of this writing.
In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a man with a criminal history of stabbing people attempted to stab a police officer with a large knife on Sept. 13.
Police were called for a report of an in-progress domestic disturbance when Ricardo Munoz lunged at the responding officer while brandishing a knife over his head.
Bodycam footage shows Munoz charging out the door of a home, knife in hand, and chasing the police officer who is forced to draw his firearm and shoot the suspect.
Police initially stated that Munoz was armed with a knife at the time of the shooting and promised to release bodycam footage, which they did at 11 p.m., but it wasn’t fast enough for Black Lives Matter protest organizers who claimed that Munoz was a victim of police brutality.
In 2019, Munoz reportedly stabbed four people after a fight, according to CBS 21. The four stabbing victims were found inside and around the home.
A 16-year-old male was found in the back of the property, with multiple stab wounds to his face, right thigh, left ankle and right side of his torso.
A 22-year-old woman suffered a slash wound to one of her hands, a 26-year-old man suffered a slash injury to his head and another 26-year-old man was stabbed in his arm.
Despite Munoz’s extensive criminal history, BLM protesters took to the streets of Lancaster on Sunday night to protest the shooting, and rioters damaged police vehicles and set fires.
In St. Louis, Missouri, nine officers have been shot in the line of duty since June 1. In August we reported that two officers were ambushed and shot.
One of those officers, Tamarris L. Bohannon, 29, died, leaving behind his wife and three children.
His partner was shot in the leg and was released from the hospital.
Police reported that the suspect was taken into custody around 5 a.m. on Aug. 30 after being barricaded in a residence for almost 12 hours.
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