Surveillance photo
A Philadelphia police detective had just punched out for the evening, but he still had his gun. And it proved priceless on June 4 as he foiled an armed robbery of a Lawndale pizzeria, wounding one crook fatally and forcing another to flee.
Police are still hunting for the escapee and are also thanking fate that one of their own was not seriously injured or worse. As it turned out, a gun used by the thugs in the attempted heist had been loaded with blanks, but that didn’t prevent Andrew Ellerbe from pointing it at the off-duty cop and pulling the trigger as chaos broke out inside Rising Sun Pizza at Rising Sun and Tyson avenues, authorities claim.
The episode began at about 11:30 p.m. The detective, dressed in “civilian attire,” authorities said, had just arrived at the shop and was placing an order. He was the lone patron. There were two employees there.
That’s when two masked men entered the business and announced a robbery. One of the intruders had a gun, pointed it at the detective’s head, took a $20 bill from his hand and forced him to the floor. Police later identified him as Ellerbe, 33, of the 2300 block of N. Garnet St. The second robber has not been identified. Authorities did not release the name of the detective.
When both robbers turned their attentions to the employees, the detective pulled out his gun and identified himself as a cop. Ellerbe fired multiple shots toward the detective, who reciprocated, police said. Both suspects ran toward the exit, with the gunman dropping his weapon inside the restaurant.
The crooks fled eastbound on Tyson Avenue. Responding police found Ellerbe lying on the 500 block of Tyson with multiple wounds of the torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A six-shot revolver recovered from the pizzeria had two spent “blank” shells and four “live” blanks, which contain no projectiles but make a loud bang and emit a muzzle flash when fired.
Investigators have released surveillance images showing the second suspect, who remains at large. Police described him as black, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a thin build and shoulder-length hair. He wore a dark hoodie, dark pants and a mask.
Visit the Philadelphia Police channel on YouTube.com to view the surveillance video. Call 215–686-TIPS or text to PPD TIP to report information. ••
