Hatboro councilman pursues, shoots Hatboro bank robbery suspect
By Freda R. Savana Staff Writer
A 30-year-old man was chased and shot by a Hatboro councilman after robbing a bank in the borough Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Kevin Phillip-Johnson Way, of South Warminster Road, Hatboro, was arrested after he was followed for nearly a mile and then shot by borough resident and Councilman George Forgeng, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said.
Our Take:
For Councilman George Forgeng, shooting the fleeing bank robber was the only feasible option to diffuse the situation. His decision to shoot the criminal will divide the public’s opinion as to whether or not it was fully necessary to squeeze the trigger in the direction of another human.
The legalities of this situation are complicated, but for George Forgeng, he saw the opportunity to stop a criminal in his tracks by crippling him with a shot to the arm. With that being said, the councilman later told a source that he would normally avoid chasing and shooting “fleeing suspects in most circumstances,” because the citizen doing the shooting could end up just a few jail cells down from the criminal in question. This point should be taken into account before pulling out the gun at your side.
This story also brings up another issue that should be addressed to the concealed nation. The average American citizen has the ability to prevent criminal activity from happening just by carrying a concealed weapon at their side. If more law abiders packed a defensive firearm around on a daily basis, law breakers like this 30-year-old bank robber would be less likely to commit crimes in public places. They would constantly wonder ‘does this person have a gun, and will they shoot me if I go through with this crime?’
Bold and daring criminals must fear the concealed carrier. If more of them did, crime rates would plummet and the streets across the United States would become safer.
According to the original article, bank robbers have targeted the Hatboro bank four times in less than three years. What does this tell you? This tells me that the bank needs to throw a couple armed guards onto their payroll. Either that or more concealed carriers and law enforcement should frequent the area more often to keep an eye out for thieving criminals.
