Chalfont Police Officer Shot and Wounded

A standard piece of police equipment just may have saved the life of a Chalfont police officer Monday morning.

A Chalfont officer was shot in the chest early this morning while investigating a suspicious vehicle. But he was wearing a bullet-proof vest, and within hours, had been treated and released from an area hospital.

The officer was shot around 3:30 a.m. when he was checking into a suspicious vehicle on the 100 block of Westview Avenue, near the Lenape Valley Swim Club.

Police said the officer was wearing a bullet-proof vest when he was shot in the chest. The officer was taken to Abington Memorial Hospital for treatment.

A hospital spokeswoman said Monday morning that he already had been treated and released.

Streets near the scene were closed as police searched for the suspects. Emergency alerts said the suspects were in an older model maroon car, believed to be an Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Police asked SEPTA to suspend train service to the nearby station for a time.