Man sentenced in attempted slaying of detective

The getaway driver in a wild shooting at a Philadelphia strip club was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the attempted slaying of a Philadelphia police detective.

Shamarr Pitts, 26, was one of two men who on May 11, 2013, were kicked out of the Purple Orchid at 61st St. and Passyunk Ave. Pitt's friend, Henry Pettigrew, returned minutes later with an AK-47. After spraying the club with bullets, Pettigrew fled and jumped in a car driven by Pitts. Pettigrew fired additional shots at the club as the vehicle drove off, authorities said.

Prosecutors gave this account of the June 4, 2013 raid on Pitts' Delaware County house:

Lansdowne police surrounded Pitts' home. As the wanted man hid in an upstairs bedroom, a three man task force, led by Philadelphia detective Patrick Smith, entered the house. The men secured the first floor and began to climb the stairs.

Smith noticed from the staircase that the door to the front bedroom was slightly ajar. He reached through the balustrade and pushed the door open. Pitts stepped out from the bedroom. He pointed a silver pistol at Smith's head and pulled the trigger twice. The gun misfired.

As the task force retreated, Pitts tried to unjam the gun.

From the first floor,  the task force ordered Pitts to surrender. Eventually he complied. When police searched his room, they found a .22 caliber Phoenix Arms semiautomatic pistol and two unspent rounds on the floor. An AK47 banana clip loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition had been wedged under a mattress.

Pitts was found guilty Feb. 3, 2015 of assault on a federal agent, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky ordered Pitts to pay a $1,000 fine and serve three years of supervised release.