No Charges To Be Filed Against Local Teacher Who Shot Bank Robber

By Justin Heinze:

No charges will be pressed against a Harry S. Truman High School teacher who shot an alleged bank robber who was fleeing the scene of the crime in July, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday.

George Forgeng, also a Hatboro councilman, was cleared of all charges after shooting Kevin Philip Johnson Way after robbing the TD Bank on York Road, the DA said.

The investigation included multiple interviews with eyewitnesses, along with detailed statements from Forgeng and Way, according to the DA.

The incident occurred while Forgeng was walking along Lehman Avenue on the morning of July 8.

A dye pack exploded on the sidewalk near a man who was walking toward him.

To Forgeng, this could mean only one thing: he had just robbed a bank.

As a councilman, Forgeng was likely familiar with the York Road TD Bank, which has been robbed multiple times over the past few months.

So he leapt into action.

He moved toward the man and yelled for him to stop.

But the man began to run. He ran down Lehman Avenue and through the residential streets.

He ran through backyards and over fences.

He ran across SEPTA tracks and along a busy street.

Forgeng repeatedly yelled for him to stop and told him to get on the ground. The councilman would later tell police that he assumed the suspect was armed because he had just robbed a bank.

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The suspect, half Forgeng’s age, stopped running after about a quarter of a mile. They were in the rear lot of 330 South Warminster Road. Forgeng repeated again for the man to get on the ground.

But Kevin Philip-Johnson Way did not get on the ground. He turned and began walking toward Forgeng.

That’s when Forgeng, who has a valid permit to carry a concealed weapon, shot Way twice, once in the hand and once in the arm.

After being shot, Way agreed to get on the ground. Police quickly arrived and took him into custody.

He was treated for non life-threatening injuries at Abington Memorial Hospital.

Police are still investigating the high school teacher turned vigilante-hero.

They are still looking for answers to questions about the incident. Forgeng, after all, did not witness the robbery itself.

And Way was not armed, despite intimating to bank employees that he was.

One defense attorney told Philly.com that this could have made for a difficult situation for Forgeng.

“If it turns out that he wasn’t sure if it was the robber . . . he had no reason to believe the person was armed, and there were no movements that appeared that he was armed . . . then the question is, can he shoot somebody under those circumstances?” said David Zellis, who is also a former Bucks County prosecutor.

Forgeng cooperated fully with the investigation, the DA said.