Teen shot by police after allegedly stealing bus, charging officers with knife on Walt Whitman Bridge

An investigation is underway after police shot a 17-year-old boy who allegedly crashed a stolen bus and charged at two officers with a knife at the scene of the accident on the Walt Whitman Bridge.

John Hanson, chief executive officer of the Delaware River Port Authority, said the boy was shot by both DRPA officers and was taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia after the incident in the eastbound lanes of the bridge. He is in stable condition.

Hanson said the suspect, whose name was not released, was placed under arrest at the hospital. Charges are pending, he said.

The shooting occurred about 12:40 a.m. Monday after a school bus that had been stolen from a dealer’s lot in Gloucester County crashed on the bridge and DRPA police confronted the driver, according to the agency.

West Deptford Police Chief Sean McKenna told NBC10 that the driver led police on a chase after an officer spotted a bus without license plates speeding before crossing the bridge into Philadelphia.

Hanson said officers saw a masked individual leaving the scene of the accident. The suspect wielded a knife and began walking toward the officers, and did not comply with commands to stop, Hanson said.

The suspect charged the officers with the knife, prompting two to discharge their weapons, Hanson said. He said he did not know how many times officers shot the suspect or where the teenager was hit.

The two DRPA officers were not identified. Hanson said they were not being disciplined but “because the investigation is ongoing, they are not on duty at this time."

Asked by a reporter whether the officers believed their lives were being threatened, Hanson said, “The officers discharged a weapon in order to prevent themselves from being attacked by an individual with a knife."

This is the second time in the DRPA’s history that its officers have discharged their weapons, he said.

Philadelphia police are assisting in the investigation. Hanson said findings will be submitted to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

The eastbound lanes of the bridge were closed for hours after the shooting for the investigation. All lanes reopened around 7:30 a.m.

Joe Tompkins, president of the H.A. DeHart & Son bus dealership, said the small school bus was stolen from the firm’s West Deptford lot during the night. The bus was undergoing inspection before being delivered to Holcomb Bus Services in Bellmawr, he said.

“We’re quite upset about this,” Tompkins said.

Hanson said he did not have information about how the theft occurred. He also did not know a motive or whether the suspect appeared to be under the influence at the time of the incident.