4 career criminals off the street

Lenford Fletcher, Jason Graddick, Mikle Eubanks and Andrew Bell were undisputed victors in the criminal-justice game. Between them, they had 72 arrests but still were free to roam city streets.

But Wednesday night, they picked the wrong victims if they wanted to stay on the sunny side of city prisons.

Fletcher, Graddick and Eubanks got into a shoot-out with Philadelphia police officers who interrupted their home invasion in North Philadelphia, police said.

And Bell, in an unrelated incident a few hours later, apparently tried to elude arrest in a car with stolen tags by allegedly ramming two police officers, who shot him to stop him.

The four men, all of North Philadelphia, are in city prisons, charged with attempted murder and related offenses.

Fletcher, 31, of Passmore Street near Summerdale Avenue, had 19 previous arrests for offenses including robbery, aggravated assault, impersonating a public servant and gun violations, according to court records.

Bell, 35, of Kensington Avenue near Westmoreland Street, had at least eight prior arrests for theft and other crimes, according to court records. Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said Bell's career rap sheet included 30 other arrests.

Graddick, 31, of Windrim Avenue near 11th Street, has seven priors for drug and other offenses, according to Vanore.

Eubanks, 29, of Large Street near Unruh Avenue, has eight prior arrests, Vanore said

Each of the men has at least two convictions on their records, according to court documents.

"These are bad guys, and we're hoping that we can keep them in jail this time," Vanore said. "We'd really like to see these guys get the full extent of the law, and not probation or another free pass."

In the earlier incident, Highway Patrol Officers Bill Postowski and Brian Hilbert traded gunfire with the suspects when they interrupted a home invasion on 18th Street near Montgomery Avenue about 6:05 p.m.

Officers caught two suspects within moments. Police nabbed the third, who had caught a bullet in the arm, two blocks away.

Postowski and Hilbert had been alerted to the home invasion by a 22-year-old man who had escaped the property after the gunmen entered, police said. A 35-year-old woman also escaped the house unharmed.

One of the intruders fired at an officer from a first-floor window, and one of the patrolmen returned fire, Vanore said. The three ran out the back of the house and were shot at by the other officer, Vanore said. Neither officer was injured.

In the second incident, police stopped a suspected stolen vehicle driven by Bell at 16th and Oxford streets, in North Philadelphia, about 9:45 p.m.

But as Highway Patrol Officers George Orth and John Sykes approached the vehicle, Bell jumped on the gas and rammed them, police said.

Another cop opened fire on the fleeing vehicle, wounding Bell in the leg several times. He was nabbed at 25th and Arlington streets moments later, police said.

The officers were treated for minor injuries at Temple University Hospital and released.

Staff writer David Gambacorta contributed to this report.