"A Pretty Shocking Incident" at Philadelphia's Olney Branch Library

Closed today (Tuesday, Sept. 28)

Link to September 28 Philadelphia Inquirer article, "Philadelphia police officer shoots knife-wielding robbery suspect in Olney library".

Excerpt: A man armed with a knife was shot and critically wounded by police during a confrontation Monday afternoon inside a library in the city's Olney section, police said.

Mark Cottman, 31, whose last known address was the 5400 block of Warnock Street in Logan, was shot about 2:40 p.m. after he lunged at an officer with the knife inside the Greater Olney branch library at Fifth Street and Tabor Road, said police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore.

The violent encounter began a few minutes earlier with police responding to a robbery call at J&K Shoes at 5505 N. Fifth St., just up the street from the library, Vanore said.

Cottman "goes in and [at knifepoint] robs the store," Vanore said. "There is some video there, so they know he perpetrates this."

When police arrived, they were directed by witnesses to the library, where they said the robber had fled, Vanore said.