Man shoots two 13-year-olds after phone call warns his car is being stolen, PA cops say

A Pennsylvania man shot two 13-year-old boys after confronting a group of teenagers trying to steal his car, police told news outlets.

The shooting happened at about 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, on Philadelphia’s southwest side, police told WCAU.

The man received a phone call from a neighbor, warning him that four teens were in the process of stealing his Honda parked in an alley behind his house, police said, so he went outside to stop them, the outlet reported.

One of the teens pulled out a gun, then the man opened fire, hitting two of them, police told WPVI.

The teen had aimed the gun at the man, according to WCAU.

“We’re not certain right now if that one juvenile who pulled the gun fired any shots. We don’t know at this time. That’s when the owner of the vehicle pulled his weapon and fired, we believe seven shots, striking the two 13-year-olds,” Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said, the station reported.

“The other two juveniles fled on foot but were later picked up by police nearby and positively identified by the vehicle owner as being involved,” Small told the outlet.

Gunfire struck one teen in the thigh and the other in the buttocks, police told KYW, adding that both were taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Police said the teens are being held as the investigation continues, the outlet reported.

This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Man shoots two 13-year-olds after phone call warns his car is being stolen, PA cops say."