A 22-year-old man open fired on an officer in Pennsylvania in front of a police station before fleeing the van with his handcuffs on. A video of the incident has been released by Allegheny County Police Department, which has gone viral. Police have also launched a manhunt to track the suspect, Koby Lee Francis of McKeesport, who is still at large.
Luckily, the officer despite suffering three bullet wounds has survived the attack and is recovering from his injuries. According to police Francis was aggressive and violent form the time police arrested him and always looked dangerous throughout the transit process from his home to the police station.
Deadly Attack
The incident took place around 4 pm on Sunday in Pittsburg when Francis was being brought into the police station to be booked for violating an order of protection that was issued just an hour prior, cops said. He was handcuffed and inside the van accompanied by an officer. The video shows the officer getting down from the vehicle to walk him into the police station when Francis opens fire at him.
The officer identified as Gerasimos Athans can be seen taking three bullets and somehow manages to escape. However, even before Athans could call for back up and help, Francis can be seen jumping out of the police vehicle and fleeing. He was handcuffed all the while.
The 32-year-old Athans, who is a four-year veteran of the force, suffered bullet injuries in his neck and torso but luckily managed to survive the deadly attack. He is in stable condition and recovering from his wounds in hospital. However, Francis is still at large and a massive manhunt has been started.
Police Clueless
Francis, a 6'2'' Black male was last seen wearing a black hoodie, army fatigue pants, and black shoes with white soles and had handcuffs when he escaped from the police vehicle. Police have started a massive manhunt involving drones, search dogs, and armed officers from all across the Pittsburgh region to track him. Multiple streets have also been shut down and checkpoints have been put in place all across the area.
According to police, Francis looked dangerous from the time he was arrested. Police were first alerted to Francis being outside of a home on Yester Square inside a vehicle, which was in direct violation of the PFA. He was taken in custody immediately. At that time, they found a gun in his car.
However, he had another firearm on him which was hidden. He used that gun to shoot the officer. Police have also asked for help from locals to identify and track Francis.
