Edmond Brown, Jr. of Camden City faces charges related to allegedly attempting to elude police, unlawful possession of a weapon, and assault by auto. He is in police custody.
By Matt Skoufalos | November 9, 2016
A vehicle crash at the Independence Village Apartments in Camden. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
A Camden City man whose encounter with a Haddon Township police officer left him shot in the leg after a traffic stop faces a litany of charges in connection with the incident.
According to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office (CCPO), 38-year-old Edmond Brown, Jr. was pulled over around 9:40 a.m. October 29 at the intersection of Routes 130 and 168 in Camden City.
Police said that while the officer was attempting to verify Brown, Jr.’s identity, the man allegedly drove his vehicle into a parked car on Alabama Avenue, just outside the Independence Village apartment complex.
“A brief struggle between the officer and driver ensued, and the driver of the vehicle was shot once in the lower extremity,” the CCPO said in a statement. Brown, Jr. allegedly suffered a gunshot wound, was treated at Cooper Medical Center, and was discharged.
Initially, Brown, Jr. was charged with fourth-degree hindering apprehension, fourth-degree assault by auto, third-degree aggravated assault, second-degree eluding apprehension, plus the outstanding warrant that allegedly led police to pull him over. He was remanded to the Camden County Jail on $50,000, full-cash bail.
On Wednesday, the CCPO reported that a search of Brown, Jr.’s vehicle uncovered a fully loaded Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver, plus additional ammunition. Subsequently, he was also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon by certain persons not to have a weapon. For those charges, Brown, Jr.’s bail was set at $100,000, cash or bond.
The scene of an apparent police-involved shooting on Route 130. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
At the scene, neighbor Brennan Robinson, 20, said he’d heard a car crash, and observed the officer confronting the driver of a Ford pickup truck that had apparently collided with a parked car on Alabama Avenue.
“The cop was pointing a gun at him, saying, ‘Get down!’” Robinson said.
“They were tussling.”
Robinson didn’t see what happened next, but said he heard two shots fired. Not long after, he said, an ambulance appeared on the scene, and the man was evacuated.
The officer involved in the incident has been placed on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation into the incident, which is conducted according to the state attorney general guidelines governing use of deadly force by law enforcement, the CCPO said.
On Friday, the Philadelphia Inquirer released dashcam footage of the incident, which illustrates more of the altercation between the two. Less easy to pick up from the footage, however, is where the shooting takes place.
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All persons charged with criminal offenses are innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
