Police: Man hospitalized after gun used in Kensington parking dispute

PHILADELPHIA - Police say a fight over a parking spot in Kensington ended with a 45-year-old man being hit in the head with a gun and two people arrested Monday afternoon.

Surveillance video shows fight escalate on A Street

What we know:

Surveillance footage captured a fight on the 2700 block of A Street near East Lehigh Avenue, according to police. The video shows a man’s pants slipping during the struggle, while a woman joins in and repeatedly hits one of the men in the head with a gun as another woman tries to intervene.

Police say they initially responded to a report of a shooting around 1:20 p.m. Monday. Officers determined the 45-year-old man was not shot but was bleeding from a head injury after being struck with a gun.

Police say the victim and a 21-year-old were arguing when the victim pulled out a knife and the other person pulled a legally-owned handgun. Both put down their weapons and continued fighting. Police say a 36-year-old woman then retrieved a gun from a car, hit the victim with it and fired a shot into the ground.

Officers arrested two people at the scene and recovered both a gun and a knife, according to investigators.

The fight reportedly started over a parking space that had been shoveled out after the snowstorm, police said.

Community and police urge calm after violent dispute

What they're saying:

"It is sad that people are even acting this way," Quinton Wood, who was leaving a grocery store on East Lehigh Avenue at the time of the incident told FOX 29. "It is so petty nowadays. A lot of stuff that we are getting into and the violence. It is uncalled for." 

A woman who lives in the neighborhood and did not want to be identified also watched the surveillance video.

"Just let the person have the parking spot. Your life is not worth dying over a parking spot," she said.

Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel addressed the issue during a city press conference Monday, the day after the snowstorm.

"I know it's challenging right? You drive through, and some people are digging out some very deep areas and clearly, through their effort, they want to save that," he said. "We just ask folks to not get into conflict." 

Neighbors say disputes over parking spaces have become more common after snowstorms, but most are surprised by the level of violence in this case.

What's next:

Police say the investigation is ongoing, and the two people arrested at the scene could face charges related to the fight and the use of weapons.

What we don't know:

Police have not released the names of those arrested. 

The current condition of the 45-year-old man is also not known as of Thursday night.