A man who allegedly shot two officers and was injured himself during an exchange of gunfire with police Sunday in Northeast Philadelphia is set to be charged with attempted murder, assault and other crimes, authorities said Tuesday.
Dioul Devaughn, 40, is accused of ramming a patrol car with his pickup truck and opening fire on officers who attempted to pull him over in Holmesburg, police said. He is expected to face two counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault of a law enforcement officer and related charges, according to the PPD.
During the shootout, Devaughn was struck when officers returned fire, and he was hospitalized in critical condition. His legal representation could not be identified Tuesday.
A 31-year-old Highway Patrol officer was shot in his ankle, and a bullet grazed his head, police said. He was released Monday afternoon from Jefferson Torresdale Hospital. Another Highway Patrol officer, 32, received a graze wound to his nose and was briefly hospitalized, according to authorities.
PPD has not publicly identified either officer. Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said Sunday that one of the two had been wounded in a previous shooting, though he did not disclose additional details.
At around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, an officer responding to a report of gunshots near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard attempted to pull over a Ford truck that matched a description put out over police radio, authorities said.
Initially, the driver stopped his car, but, as the officer approached on foot, he sped off onto the Boulevard’s outer lanes, according to the PPD.
The Highway Patrol officers encountered the truck at the corner of Frankford Avenue and Welsh Road, and Devaughn allegedly drove into their patrol car and opened fire. The pair, along with two other officers who showed up to the scene, fired back, police said.
In accordance with PPD protocols, all four officers have been reassigned to administrative duty pending internal investigations in the shooting.
