FRANKFORD (WTXF) - The wife of a pastor shot a would-be armed robber late Thursday night as she, her husband, and their son were returning home for the night in Frankford.
According to police, officers received a call for shots fired and a robbery in progress just before 11:00 p.m. on the 1000 block of Pratt Street. When officers arrived they located the 48-year-old pastor who had just returned home with his family, and as they attempted to enter, he was approached by an unknown black male.
Police say the man took out a long barrel handgun and demanded the pastor's wallet. The pastor hesitated and briefly struggled with the man.
The attempted robber then hit the husband on the head with the butt of the handgun.
That's when the pastor's 38-year-old wife exited her vehicle and retrieved her own gun, which she is licensed to carry.
She ordered the male several times to drop his weapon, and after he failed to do so, she fired her gun once, striking the man in the right leg. The man then dropped his green Eagles cap and fled on foot towards Oxford Avenue.
The pastor, who is also licensed to carry, grabbed his wife's gun and gave chase while his wife called 911.
The pastor then saw the man discard his handgun on the 1000 block of Pratt Street. The man continued to the intersection of Oxford Avenue and Pratt Street, hopping on the driver's side running boards and grabbing the roof rack of a SUV traveling on the street.
Police say that it appears the suspect did not know the driver of the SUV.
The pastor flagged down responding officers and told them of the robbery, leading police to the gun the man had tossed away.
Officers found blood on the 1100 block of Pratt and then checked near Aria Torresdale for anyone arriving with gunshot wounds at the hospital. The officers then discovered a man limping, bleeding from his right leg close to Aria Torresdale on the 4900 block of Frankford. He told police he had been shot and he was taken into custody.
The family identified the man as the robbery suspect that confronted them in front of their home.
The pastor is the head of a church that is next door to their home. He suffered a large lump on the back of his head, however he did not seek medical attention at this time. The pastor's wife was not injured as a result of the incident. No property was taken from either.
Police recovered the suspect's gun underneath a vehicle on Pratt. They also recovered the shell casing from the single bullet fired by the 38-year-old wife that hit the suspect in the leg.
The man's gun was determined to be a Black Ramset nail gun made to look like a firearm with the orange handle wrapped in black electrical tape.