Police arrested a man yesterday afternoon after they say he choked a woman and tried to rob her as she walked near 45th and Larchwood.
The 29-year-old victim, Corrine McDonald, told NBC10 that she was visiting friends in the neighborhood and was walking along the 4500 block of Larchwood at about 12:40 p.m. when a man came up from behind and began choking her, then pulled her into a nearby alley (see video below). She said that she began to scream and fight back. Police who were patrolling the area heard her, rushed to the scene and apprehended 33-year-old Andre Taylor, who reportedly lives in a halfway house in East Falls. Police found a piece of wire and string that they believe Taylor used to choke McDonald.
Police say Taylor also tried to rob a woman at 46th and Larchwood on Sunday. She was reportedly grabbed from behind and choked with her earphone cords. The attacker fled after the woman gave him $7.
Taylor is being charged with attempted murder, robbery and other charges, police say.
News soon began circulating on social media, prompting some residents to comment on the brazenness of the attack.
UCD cops just caught a guy robbing a woman at 45/Larchwood. He put a rope around her neck & tried to rob her before the cops grabbed him.
— Joseph Murray (@PPDJoeMurray) July 30, 2014
@PPDJoeMurray @WestPhillyLocal wow. Scary. I walk there at this time frequently with my baby.
— Joselle Palacios, RN (@JosellePalacios) July 30, 2014
@JosellePalacios @WestPhillyLocal this is very rare. Penn police and 18th district patrol the area pretty diligently.
— Joseph Murray (@PPDJoeMurray) July 30, 2014
NBC10 video:
July 31st, 2014 at 11:07 am
45th and Larchwood. That’s the street I was robbed on at gunpoint several years ago. Best to walk up Baltimore Ave if you are alone.
July 31st, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Everyone should do what feels right to them, but I’ve ever felt unsafe on Larchwood or 45th, and they’re both streets I’ll go out of my way to walk down because I find them scenic. This is still a very rare incident. As a woman who often walks alone, I’m not going to start avoiding the smaller streets during daylight because of a rare, random crime. But that’s just me.
Glad they caught the guy right away. Good work, PPD, and thank you.
July 31st, 2014 at 1:33 pm
“Ever felt unsafe” should read “never felt unsafe”.
July 31st, 2014 at 1:34 pm
Are we sure the earphones didn’t actually belong to him?
August 3rd, 2014 at 12:07 pm
@guest LOL!
But seriously this story sickens me and horrifies me as someone who lives a block away.
In fact, I recently was doing recycling and threw in there a lanyard attached to an old straightened out coat hanger (which I used to keep my cat inside the room with the door that always pops open).
I’m terrified that this guy may have got his weapon from my bin.