Off-Duty Newark Cop Shoots Barbershop Robbery Suspect

NEWARK, NJ — He just wanted to get a haircut. But a Newark police officer’s trip to a local barbershop on his day off turned into a harrowing encounter when he ended up foiling an armed robbery attempt earlier this week, authorities said.

The off-duty officer was at a barbershop on the 400-block of Orange Street around 9 p.m. on Tuesday when Phillip Hedgespeth, 42, of Newark, allegedly brandished a handgun and tried to rob it, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

When the off-duty officer tried to apprehend Hedgespeth, he allegedly resisted arrest. At that time, the officer fired his weapon, striking Hedgespeth, authorities said.

The officer’s name wasn’t released in the ECPO's statement.

Hedgespeth fled the shop, but was apprehended by officers responding to the scene a short time later on the 1100-block of McCarter Highway. The officers recovered a firearm during the chase, authorities said.

Medical personnel treated Hedgespeth for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Authorities later charged him with robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

An investigation into the incident is active and additional arrests are possible, police said. Anyone with additional information can contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Professional Standards Bureau at (862) 520-3700.

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