Man armed with box cutter shot, critically injured by police in North Philadelphia

Police are investigating after a man armed with a box cutter was shot by an officer in North Philadelphia overnight.

The incident occurred around 10:15 p.m. Monday at North Front Street and East Allegheny Avenue.

Police say two uniformed officers arrived in a marked vehicle during a dispute between passengers in a Nissan SUV and a pedestrian. The Nissan driver began to back up, and officers reportedly attempted to get the pedestrian to back away. The man held onto the vehicle, then allegedly lunged at officers armed with a box cutter.

After repeated commands to stop and drop the weapon, the man refused to do so, according to police. The man reportedly continued to charge at officers, at which point an officer fired several times. The man, who was struck at least once in the torso, was hospitalized in critical condition.

The man is described as being in his 30s. He has yet to be identified.

The 28-year-old officer who discharged his weapon has been on the job for three years. He was the only officer that fired.

Police say the officer did have his body camera on at the time of the incident.

This is an ongoing investigation.