Man Shot By U.S. Marshals At Penn's Landing
By Natasha Brown, Dan Wing
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A man wanted on a state parole violation and aggravated assault warrant in South Philadelphia is shot by U.S. Marshals as he tries to avoid capture at a Penn's Landing restaurant.
The incident was reported at about 4:45 p.m. in the 500 block of S. Columbus Boulevard.
"I didn't expect this to happen here. Shocking," eyewitness Rosa Lazinger said.
A leisurely night out for dinner turned into a frightening ordeal for Rosa. She was heading into the Chart House Restaurant on Columbus Boulevard Thursday evening when she was stopped in her tracks by the sound of gunfire.
"We were coming here and we heard a car crash and then we heard shots and my friend said 'Get down.' And we got down because we didn't know what was going on," she said.
The parking lot at the restaurant had become the site of a stakeout as members of a Violent Crimes Task Force including U.S. Marshals and State Parole officers tried to capture a wanted suspect.
About 10 agents with the U.S. Marshals were staked out around the parking lot of the Chart House, waiting for 27-year-old Eugene Dykes to arrive at the restaurant to drop his girlfriend off for a night of work.
U.S. Marshal Tom Smith says when Dykes pulled into the parking lot, officers moved in.
"Officers went to surround his vehicle. He tried to ram some of the officers with his vehicle. Actually hit two of the officers with his vehicle. Almost pinned him up against a wall," Smith said.
Smith says a Deputy Marshal and a state parole officer opened fire on Dykes.
An eyewitness and chef on the Spirit of Philadelphia, docked next door to Chart House Restaurant, says, "They put the car in reverse. I'm not sure if the Marshals saw that as a threat. That's when they fired about eight, nine shots, they unloaded into the car."
Philadelphia Police say Dykes was shot once in the head. He was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in critical condition.
The two officers he hit with his car are also being treated for injuries.
Smith also says that Dykes' girlfriend is now being questioned by authorities.
