Philadelphia cop charged with striking hospital during off-duty shooting

A nine-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department was arrested on Thursday for allegedly firing his weapon three times at a driver after the two had been involved in a collision.

According to law enforcement officials, officer Ross Scott, 43, assigned to the city’s 22^nd district, surrendered himself to the police’sIinternal Affairs unit on Thursday and has been charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime.

The charges stem from an incident that happened on Tuesday, May 31 of last year, when police said, at about 11:15 p.m., Scott was off-duty and riding a motorcycle northbound along Broad Street at Tioga Street, where he was involved in a crash.

At that time, police said, the driver of a green Chevy Monte Carlo traveling southbound along the 3500 block of North Broad Street, turned left in front of Scott’s motorcycle, causing the officer to collide with the passenger side of the vehicle.

The impact caused Scott to flip over the hood of the vehicle and land in the roadway, police noted.  However, law enforcement officials who reviewed surveillance video of the incident, said Scott then immediately removed a firearm, and, from a kneeling position, pointed his weapon at the driver’s window.

According to police, the driver of the vehicle then attempted to speed away along Tioga Street, at which time Scott fired three shots at the fleeing vehicle.

One bullet reportedly shattered a window in an entrance to Temple University Hospital. No injuries were reported.

Scott originally claimed he saw the other motorists holding a gun. Their vehicle was found abandoned a few blocks away. No gun was recovered.

The police said that Commissioner Richard Ross has suspended Ross Scott for 30 days with the intent to dismiss at the end of the 30 days.