Police seek suspects in string of gunpoint robberies in Center City and North Philadelphia
Detectives say two suspects committed a bulk of the thefts, one of which took place outside the Four Seasons Hotel. Additional armed suspects joined in on later robberies, they said.
Police are searching for a group of young men who committed a string of gunpoint robberies in Center City and North Philadelphia, authorities said Wednesday.
Two males wearing black ski masks, gloves, and wielding handguns, are believed to have committed most of the crimes, which began early Friday morning, according to police.
Additional suspects were spotted with the two as the thefts continued over the weekend and into this week, police said. At one point, five people — all wielding guns — took part in a robbery.
All of the crimes occurred in the early morning hours, and detectives believe the suspects largely targeted pedestrians who were holding or wearing bags.
Police have not made any arrests, but investigators are using surveillance footage and other evidence to try to piece together the crimes. They say the suspects are likely teenagers.
The crime spree began early Oct. 2 near 1800 West Norris Street in North Philadelphia, according to Captain Jason Smith of the Central Detectives Division.
There, he said, two armed suspects robbed a 36-year-old man who was sleeping in his car, and they stole a watch and jewelry.
Then on Sunday morning, between 4:40 a.m. and 6:05 a.m., the young men committed five additional robberies across the city, said Smith, who described what happened in this way:
They rode in a black Honda Accord that was reported stolen in New Jersey. The first robbery took place near 400 Spring Garden Street in North Philadelphia. There the suspects approached a man and a woman on the street and robbed them at gunpoint, taking their cellphones, house keys, and credit cards.
Then around 5:30 a.m., they robbed a 26-year-old man who was waiting for a car outside the Four Seasons Hotel at 1900 Arch Street in Center City. They stole a cellphone, wallet, bag and clothing.
Both incidents were captured on surveillance footage.
The suspects then traveled to 2222 Green Street in Spring Garden, where they robbed a 28-year-old man of his Beats headphones and cellphone, before traveling to the intersection of Broad and Master streets around 5:58 a.m. and robbing a man of his backpack.
Just after 6 a.m., the suspects robbed three women near 1900 North 16th Street, taking a Victoria’s Secret and Coach bag.
In all of those crimes, Smith said, the suspects confronted their victims wielding firearms equipped with flashlights and blue lasers.
“They run at [the victims] like maniacs, produce their handguns, point them at their faces,” he said.
Police recovered the black Accord on Monday afternoon after finding it abandoned on the 2200 block of West Sergeant Street, Smith said. They are processing the vehicle for fingerprints and additional evidence that could identify the suspects.
And the robberies did not end there.
Police said the young men committed two more robberies early Tuesday morning and were joined by additional suspects.
Around 4:45 a.m., they robbed a 61-year-old woman near 2600 Pennsylvania Avenue in North Philadelphia, according to Smith.
They did not wield firearms, he said, but were joined by a third person, and they took the woman’s bag, cellphone, laptop, wallet, and AirPod case.
Nearly two hours later, the suspects conducted what detectives said was their final robbery.
The group had grown to five people, Smith said. They traveled in a heavily tinted red Honda Accord near 1900 Norris Street in North Philadelphia, where they robbed a 22-year-old man.
Two men got out of the vehicle and “made a beeline” to the victim with handguns drawn, he said. Meanwhile, three men waited in the car, each pointing a firearm at the victim.
“This is just becoming more and more serious,” Smith said of that escalation. “The way that these suspects are acting, it’s only a matter of time before something really bad happens.”
Police have not recovered the red Accord, which they believe is a model from around 2018 to 2021.
They are urging anyone with information about the suspects or vehicle to submit a tip by calling the department at (215) 866-TIPS.
