Police seek suspects in South Philadelphia store stickups
Police in South Philadelphia are looking for suspects in the robbery of Susan's Market, on 13th Street near Dickinson, and the attempted stickup of Joe's Food Market II, on Passyunk Avenue near Mifflin.
Police are looking for suspects in the robbery of a South Philadelphia corner store and the attempted stickup of a second.
The first occurred Tuesday at Susan's Market on South 13th Street, near Dickinson Street.
Two males – one believed to be in his early teens, the second in his late teens to early 20s – walked into the store shortly before 6:30 p.m. and lingered briefly to ask an employee what time the business closed, police said.
The duo returned minutes later, with the younger teen standing by the front door as the second suspect walked toward the counter and pulled out a handgun, according to investigators.
He allegedly leveled the gun at the head of at a 74-year-old woman who was sweeping the floor and yelled, "Give me the money."
The suspect then turned the gun toward a second employee, a 32-year-old man, and tossed a black backpack at him, police said.
The worker filled the bag with about $500 in cash from the register, and both suspects fled on foot. They were last seen running east on Dickinson, toward 12th Street, police said.
The older suspect is described as a 6-foot tall, thin, clean-shaven black male, last seen wearing a black knit cap, a gray camouflage hooded coat, a black polo shirt with white stripes and a red shirt underneath.
The younger suspect is described as clean-shaven and of average build, wearing a black hooded coat, dark pants, a gray hooded sweatshirt and a blue and gray Penn State backpack.
A robbery attempt Christmas Day on East Passyunk Avenue, near Mifflin Street, bore striking similarities, police said.
An unknown teen came into Joe's Food Market II around 2:20 p.m. Police said he threw a black backpack onto the floor and held a 39-year-old male employee at gunpoint, demanding he fill the bag with money.
The employee refused and reached under the counter, and the suspect fled empty-handed, police said.
He is described as a 5-foot-10-inch tall, 150-pound black male of about 17 years of age, last seen wearing a black-and-white plaid jacket with a gray hood.
No injuries were reported as a result of either crime.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the South Detective Division at 215-686-3093 or 3094, or to call 911.