Across the Ist-a-Verse
(Link changed, post altered slightly. Thanks, phillybits.)
Phillyist just heard that SEPTA's Market-Frankford El is not running between 40th Street and 52nd Street due to reports of a bomb on the tracks. The SEPTA website doesn't mention any bomb threats, but does say shuttle buses are being used between 40th and 52nd due to "police activity." Maybe it's connected to this police negotiation with a gunman that's going on at 46th and Market? We'll let you know when we find out more.
UPDATE: The situation with the gunman is now over. Negotiators tried to persuade him to surrender, but a little after noon he shot himself in the head. He was transported to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
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Your link to police negotiations is in error but I wonder if that explains the helicopters that were in my neighborhood a few hours ago.
Try this instead:
The situation unfolded moments after 11 a.m. SWAT officers responded to the scene along with a negotiator, who was speaking with the man.
SkyFox over the scene showed a man holding a gun to his mouth while sitting on a curb outside of a car at the corner of 46th and Market streets.
Huh. I swear that link worked like 5 minutes ago. Maybe they took the story down? Anyway, thanks for the info.
It's possible. Initial reporting on their behalf might have been off, causing them to pull the story while they edited it.
Currently, there's a police officer stationed at 48th and Spruce and yellow tape blocking off 48th North of Spruce. I'm not sure if it's related or not.
FWIW, the helicopter's I saw today buzzed in rather abruptly but that was easily about two hours ago. The cop I mentioned, otherwise, is out there right now.
Dang nabbit. "Helicopters" not helicopter's.
Many thanks for the on-site reporting, phillybits! You are a deputy Phillyist! :)
Holy Sh*t! He shot himself in the head? Dang. Makes me wonder what he was going through that he felt that was his only option.
Btw, he's dead they're reporting.
Yesterday we had a delay earlier on the EL, unrelated to the gun in the mouth thing.
The 9:05 AM from 69th St. was delayed 2 times, once before 40th St., for 2 minutes, and once at 30th for 6 minutes. We don''t know why.
While sitting at 30th , the lady next to me late for a meeting, and I told her she could take trolley into center city, you know the ones that run next to us? She had no idea where the trolleys went, and she's ridden the MFL many times.