A Philadelphia man who allegedly opened fire at a police officer after a hit-and-run crash at the King of Prussia Mall on Sunday afternoon has been charged with attempted homicide, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said.
Andrew Wiley, 27, allegedly fired shots at the police officer after his red Nissan Juke became disabled in the parking lot of the Seasons 52 restaurant during a pursuit. The officer took cover and returned fire, striking Wiley in the thigh and ankle, investigators said. No other injuries were reported; Wiley was taken to Paoli Hospital for treatment.
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The incident began around 2:30 p.m., when Wiley allegedly crashed his SUV into a car in another parking lot at the mall. When an Upper Merion police officer responded to the scene, Wiley allegedly fled in his SUV toward the mall's Gulph Road exit.
After Wiley became stuck in traffic, he drove his SUV over the curb into the Seasons 52 lot, where it became disabled, police said. That's when Wiley allegedly opened fire on another police officer who had exited his patrol car.
Upper Merion Police Chief Thomas Nolan called the officer's actions heroic and said police may have prevented a much more serious shooting on one of the mall's busiest weekends, 6ABC reported.
"You have the largest shopping mall by retail space in the country on the Sunday before Christmas," Nolan said. "It could have been very, very different."
The shooting was captured on the patrol car's dashcam and the footage was reviewed by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau.
Police recovered multiple cartridge casings and a 9 mm Glock-type gun that did not have a serial number, investigators said.
Wiley was charged with attempted murder of police officer, weapons charges and related offenses.