Authorities: Officers shot masked teen on Walt Whitman bridge after crash

Authorities say a 17-year-old was shot and wounded by police during an incident on a bridge that connects Philadelphia and New Jersey.

News 12 Staff

Jul 22, 2019, 11:32 AM

Updated 1,967 days ago

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Authorities: Officers shot masked teen on Walt Whitman bridge after crash
Authorities say a 17-year-old was shot and wounded by police during an incident on a bridge that connects Philadelphia and New Jersey.
The shooting on the Walt Whitman Bridge occurred around 12:45 a.m. Monday. Authorities say it involved at least one officer from the Delaware River Port Authority.
Officials with the Delaware River Port Authority say that officers discovered a crashed school bus in the eastbound lanes on the bridge. The officers then spotted a masked man walking away from the crash, according to officials.
Police say that the suspect ignored the officers’ commands to get down. They also say that the suspect was holding a knife.
"The masked suspect suddenly charged the DRPA officers with a knife in hand, giving the officers no choice but to discharge their weapons, striking the individual,” says Delaware River Port Authority CEO John Hanson.
The shooting disrupted traffic on the bridge during the Monday morning commute. Police had closed off several lanes of the roadway during the investigation.
The bus had reportedly been stolen an auto dealership in West Deptford.
Philadelphia officials are investigating as the shooting happened on the Pennsylvania side of the bridge.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.