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(Image: IG)

Edward Archer has been charged following the attack on Thursday.

The hero police officer managed to fire back, wounding the attacker.

The suspect was arrested by other officers following the dramatic incident.

Officer Jesse Hartnett was driving down a street in west Philadelphia when he came under fire.

Archer, 30, of Yeadon, Philadelphia, is accused of ambushing the cop in his squad car.

Philadelphia's District Attorney's Office confirmed the Archer is charged with several other crimes.

Shocking pictures have emerged showing the gunman, wearing what looks like a long white coat or Islamic-style robe, running out into the street firing a handgun.

It has since emerged that the gun used by the attacker was stolen FROM a Philadelphia police officer in October 2013.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross described the officer as "courageous" and said: "I don't know how this officer survived.

"This is absolutely one of the scariest things I've ever seen."

Mr Ross said: "He just came out of nowhere and started firing on him. He just started firing with one aim and one aim only, to kill him."

Officer Hartnett, 33, was hit three times, suffered a broken arm and nerve damage but was able to fire back at his assailant, who fired around a dozen shots.

Dramatic audio has been released from his police radio in which he tells a dispatcher: "I'm bleeding heavily"

But despite his injuries the heroic officer got out of his car and chased the suspect.

Mr Ross said the suspect was shot in the buttocks by Officer Hartnett and was caught "about a block away" by other officers.

The cops are now searching his home in Yeadon.

Archer's mother, Valerie Holliday, told The Philadelphia Inquirer her son has been hearing voices recently and had refused the family's pleas for him to get help.

She said he was a devout Muslim but the city's new Mayor, Jim Kenney, said his actions were "abhorrent" and had no relation to the teachings of Islam.

(Image: Philadelphia Police)

The officer's aunt, Cynthia Hartnett, said he was expected to make a full recovery.

She said: “He’s OK. He’s going to be OK."

His sister-in-law Ashley Hartnett wrote on Facebook: “Jesse you're a super hero.

"My brother in law, a police officer in West Philadelphia, was shot at 13 times point blank while sitting in his patrol car at a red light last night … But it's harder than that to take down a Hartnett.”

Twitter user Miguel Marquez wrote: "Philly police officer Jesse Hartnett who was ambushed, shot 3 times, survived and took down shooter #wow"