City officer threatened by youth

Philadelphia Police Officer Christopher Morano found himself looking down the barrel of a "large caliber hand gun" at 43rd and Pine streets early Friday morning. According to Philadelphia Police Detective Joseph Walsh, Morano was threatened by a juvenile who was suspected of armed robbery. Morano fired at the youth in self-defense, but missed him. The incident began when a man flagged down Morano, an 18th District police officer, at 44th Street and Baltimore Avenue at about 12:30 a.m., to say that he had just been robbed at gunpoint, Walsh said. The man accompanied the officer to search for the suspect. And at 43rd and Pine streets, the victim pointed to a juvenile he believed to be his assailant. Morano exited the patrol car and approached the juvenile, who then pulled out his gun, according to Walsh. Morano also drew his gun, and fired a shot at the juvenile, who fled on foot, Walsh said. An assist officer call -- asking all free officers to come to the location -- went out, and police caught the juvenile at 43rd St. and Baltimore Avenue. At the time of his arrest, the suspect did not have a gun in his possession. The juvenile was charged with robbery, theft and a gun violation, Walsh said. According to Walsh, there are "a lot of armed robberies," in the area between 40th and 45th Streets. "Once in a while, when you have an armed defendant, they'll pull a gun [on police]" he said. "It's happened quite a few times." Walsh added that if the assailant is armed, pulling a gun on the police is a "regular thing." "Everyone has more guns than before," he said. This incident occurred two blocks from where four men shot at Philadelphia Police on February 23. In that incident, plainclothes police confronted the men after they robbed a delicatessen. Gunfire erupted, and a stake-out ensued. Approximately 30 police vehicles responded and barricaded the area, marked by 40th Street, 43rd Street, Baltimore Avenue and Pine Street. Stake-out officers -- dressed in body armor and carrying assault rifles -- eventually caught all the gunmen.