Philadelphia, PA – A veteran Philadelphia police officer was shot in the thigh when he and his partner intervened in a confrontation between two men on Wednesday morning, but that didn’t stop him from chasing down and arresting one of the men.

“The quick police action of both these two officers probably saved the life of even one of the people involved, to be quite frank,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said during a press conference.

“Because it was going to be a shooting. There was no question about that – [the officers] interrupted,” he said.

Philadelphia Police Officer Paul Sulock, 31, and his partner were patrolling the Kensington neighborhood at approximately 11 a.m., when they spotted two men “crouching down behind cars,” Commissioner Ross explained.

They saw one of the men holding a gun, but they did not know whether the second male also had a weapon, he said.

When the officers got out of their patrol vehicle to investigate further, one of the men opened fire.

“One of the males…turned towards the officers and discharged his weapon, striking Officer Sulock in his right leg,” the commissioner said.

The bullet, which entered the officer’s thigh, may have also left fragments in his calf, he added.

“After he was shot, Officer Sulock actually chased one of these males and apprehended him,” Commissioner Ross said.

The second suspect was also placed under arrest by his fellow officers.

“This is valor to the highest degree,” Commissioner Ross told WCAU. “[The officers] probably saved the life of the guy who shot him.”

No one else was injured during the altercation, although Officer Sulock and his partner did returned fire during the incident, according to the commissioner.

Officer Sulock, a 10-year veteran of the force, is hospitalized in stable condition, and is in “good spirits,” Commissioner Ross said.

“We know that he’s going to be okay,” the commissioner added.

The father-of-four is also the son of a Philadelphia police officer.

In 2015, he was named Officer of the Month by his department.

The investigation into the altercation is ongoing, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told WCAU outside the hospital where Officer Sulock is being treated.

“We are here to support this truly heroic officer,” Krasner said. “We want you know that the District Attorney’s Office is taking this case extremely seriously.”