17 men arrested in Phila. prostitution sting

In a three-day undercover sting last week, Philadelphia police said, 17 men were charged with soliciting prostitutes - including one who allegedly sucker-punched an officer during his arrest.

On Friday, the last day of the sting, Mad Shin, 41, of Oaklyn, Pa., allegedly tried to solicit sex from an undercover officer posing as a prostitute, Lt. Derrick Wood, the commander of the department's Vice Unit, said Tuesday.

The officer signaled to backup officers, but as one tried to put Shin in handcuffs, he allegedly punched the officer in the face, Wood said. He then allegedly hit the officer several more times before he was finally handcuffed, Wood said. The officer suffered a swollen bump over his left eye and pain in his shoulder, but did not seek medical attention.

In addition to being charged with soliciting and patronizing a prostitute, Shin faces charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer, simple assault, recklessly endangering a person, and resisting arrest.

The sting took place in the department's East, Northeast, and South Divisions Oct. 8, last Wednesday, and Friday, police said. In addition to the 17 men arrested, including an 83-year-old man from Bustleton arrested about 12:30 p.m. on the first day of the sting, the Vice Unit confiscated nine cars and $4,849 in cash.

Such stings are periodic and usually result in 15 to 30 would-be johns under arrest, Wood said. Teams of about three to four officers target areas where police have fielded complaints about street prostitution, Wood said.

"We get complaints from people reporting prostitutes and johns having sex in cars, leaving condoms on the street," he said. "We target areas based on what we see and what the people of Philadelphia tell us."

Wood's unit has arrested 180 men on solicitation charges since Jan. 3, he said.

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