U.S. marshals shoot machete wielding man in Wissinoming

U.S. marshals shot and wounded a man wielding a machete in the Wissinoming area of Philadelphia Wednesday morning.

According to an interview that James Burke, assistant chief deputy at the marshals’ Philadelphia office, did with Philly.com, the U.S. marshals had been seeking out a man identified as Joseph Ankrah. Officers were looking for Ankrah because he had a warrant from Abington Township for “making terroristic threats against law enforcement.” Asst. Chief Burke said officers first started their pursuit by boxing in the man’s car at approximately 8:15 a.m.

That’s when Ankrah allegedly got out of the car through the passenger door armed with a machete and attempted to escape the pursuits of the two marshals. Ankrah headed towards an alleyway and one deputy tried to stop him with a Taser, but it didn’t work.

Philly police told Metro that after Ankrah was Tased, he “…ran into the rear alley where the U.S. marshals discharged several times striking him one time in the lower back.” He was shot in his right shoulder and the upper left side of his back. 

Officers said that after he was shot, Ankrah continued to evade officers and ran into a local park. At the park, he was met with more deputies who once again asked him to drop the weapon. That’s when Ankrah fell to the ground.

A witness told Philly.com he saw the plainclothes marshal holding a gun and yelling at a man who was described as wearing a black shirt and “staggering” across the street.

The witness also recalled the unnamed marshal speaking to the machete-wielding man and saying, “Put down the machete. We’re going to get you some help!”

A witness heard the gunshots and spoke with NBC, saying “I told my kids to get inside the house, [because] I was trying to get kids to school then I saw somebody fleeing in the alley.”

The man was transported to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital by police and was in stable condition as of press time.