The money line was eleven paragraphs down:

(Eric) Haynes has been convicted in Delaware County for resisting arrest, drug offenses, and weapons violations in cases that date back to 1997, court records show. His most recent conviction was in 2019, when he pleaded guilty to drug charges and resisting arrest and was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in jail plus two years of probation, the records say.

And the story:

The 45-year-old man accused of shooting a Philly cop will face charges including attempted murder, police say

Eric Haynes was taken into custody late Wednesday night on the 6800 block of Guyer Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.

by Chris Palmer and Rodrigo Torrejón | Thursday, February 9, 2023 | 12:00 PM EST

Eric Haynes, mugshot from tweet by Steve Keeley of Fox 29 News. Click to enlarge.

A 45-year-old Delaware County man was expected to face charges including attempted murder and assault of a law enforcement officer for shooting a Philadelphia Police officer during a vehicle stop on Wednesday, authorities said.

The Philadelphia City Council had earlier prohibited traffic stops for eight ‘minor’ offenses.^[1]Vehicle registrations expired for 60 days or less. Temporary registration permits that are in the wrong location, but otherwise clearly displayed in the rear window. Unfastened registration plates, … Continue reading Watch for Eric Haynes’ defense attorneys to claim that he can’t be prosecuted, because the police stopped the vehicle improperly.

Naturally, the suspect’s mugshot was not included in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s story.

Eric Haynes was taken into custody late Wednesday night on the 6800 block of Guyer Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia, a few hours after he shot the 32-year-old officer on the 200 block of North 60th Street, according to Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.

Authorities have not yet released the name of the officer, but Vanore said Thursday that he was hospitalized in stable condition after undergoing surgery for two gunshot wounds to the abdomen.

Vanore said the incident began around 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, when the officer and his partner — both in uniform and assigned to the 19th District — conducted a vehicle stop on a silver Lexus on 60th Street. Vanore said he didn’t know the reason for the initial investigation, and police did not elaborate on the circumstances Wednesday.

Yup! The police better have everything perfect, because if they don’t, the alleged shooter just might walk.

The obvious question is: why was Mr Haynes not already in jail? While the Inky didn’t go too much into his criminal history, telling us that his record dates back to 1997, and Mr Haynes being 45 years old now, puts his first adult record as being from when he was 19 or 20 years old. And let’s tell the truth here: an apparent career criminal from early in legal adulthood is more likely than not to have a juvenile record as well.

The Inquirer wasn’t specific, but if his offenses were in Delaware County, we can’t blame District Attorney Larry Krasner for his lenient treatment, but we can blame the attitude of prosecutors which allows for criminals to plead down to lesser offenses. If Mr Haynes pleaded guilty to “drug charges and resisting arrest and was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months,” it has to be asked: down from what charges was he allowed to plead? How many of those 11½ to 23 months did he actually spend behind bars?

Vanore said three people were in the Lexus, and that shortly after the officers approached the car on foot, Haynes — who was a passenger — stepped out and got into a physical struggle with the 32-year-old officer.

During that scuffle, Vanore said, Haynes fired his gun, striking the officer twice in the stomach, beneath his bulletproof vest.

When Mr Haynes was later arrested, the police found weapons, including a 9mm handgun, at the site in the 6800 block of Guyer Avenue, and are testing the handgun to determine whether it was the weapon used to wound the officer. Surprisingly enough, Pennsylvania’s gun control laws do not seem to have stopped Mr Haynes from (allegedly) carrying a firearm.

So, did lenient treatment of Mr Haynes actually do him any favors? Attempted murder or aggravated assault of a police officer is a first degree felony in Pennsylvania, and the specified sentence is 10 to 20 years in prison. If convicted, Mr Haynes could be behind bars until he turns 65 years old, at least if dumbass District Attorney Krasner pushes for the maximum sentence, and doesn’t give him a sweetheart plea deal.