Charges filed against would-be robber shot by shopowner in West Oak Lane

A West Mount Airy man with an arrest record dating back a decade has been charged in a shootout and robbery attempt at a West Oak Lane takeout restaurant Thursday in which the owner allegedly shot him in the chest.

Christoper McDaniels, 37, of the 6400 block of Greene Street, is accused of barging into Peter's Chicken & Sea Food in the 7300 block of North 19th Street and announcing a holdup that police said set in motion a shootout in which McDaniels fired four shots and the owner fired three.

About 15 minutes later, McDaniels turned up at Einstein Medical Center with bullet wounds in his chest, police said. The shop owner, who was not identified, was not injured. The store was closed the next day but reopened Monday. Members of the family that owns the store declined to discuss the incident with a reporter Monday.

McDaniels was arrested Friday and charged with aggravated assault, robbery, attempted theft, illegally carrying a firearm, and related counts. Bail was set at $500,000.

Court records show that McDaniels is facing trial for a July arrest for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. In 2008, a charge against McDaniels of carrying a firearm without a license was dropped. In 2010, he was sentenced to seven to 14 days in jail for drug possession, and that year he also was found not guilty of raping a child. In 2011, prosecutors dropped charges against him of making terroristic threats and possession of an instrument of crime.

Staff writer Matthew McCann contributed to this article.