Police are looking for a 17-year-old girl and another person who they say robbed a man near 45th and Larchwood on Sunday evening. Police identified the girl after she dropped her unlocked cell phone, which included her picture as the wallpaper, during a foot chase.
Police say the young woman and an unidentified person robbed the 25-year-old man while he was walking home at about 7:45 p.m. The man told police that a person approached him and hit him in the head with an unknown object, while someone else held his arms back. The suspects took the man’s iPhone and his backpack, containing a laptop among other things, and fled westbound on Larchwood Avenue.
Five minutes later a police officer spotted two people running east on the 4700 block of Cedar Avenue who fit the description of the robbers and started pursuing them on foot, but lost them in an alley, according to a police report.
When the officer returned to the original location where he first observed the suspects he found a wallet, clothing, and a cell phone. The wallet belonged to the man robbed near 45th and Larchwood, but the other items were not his, according to police. The cell phone turned out to be unlocked, and the police showed the phone’s wallpaper picture to the robbery victim, who identified the person who went through his pockets and removed his bag.
Police were able to retrieve information from the cell phone and identify the suspect, who turned out to be a 17-year-old female, an area resident. Police said the teenager already had a prior arrest for a robbery near 40th and Pine.
The victim’s phone was found on the sidewalk nearby, according to police. The investigation continues.
UPDATE (12/9/2015): The 17-year-old suspect was arrested at her West Philly residence on Dec. 7, according to police. There’s no information on charges yet. The second suspect has not been identified, and there is no description available.
December 7th, 2015 at 1:43 pm
Well that’s unnerving. Only a block away from there earlier in the afternoon I was biking home and I think somebody was trying to stop me to bikejack me. I sped off and he yelled “I’ll chase you” at me. Not sure if it’s connected, though, given lack of info on the other robber.
December 7th, 2015 at 3:39 pm
They were totally in need of a graphing calculator and a laptop to better complete their Trig homework
December 7th, 2015 at 7:02 pm
Anybody notice a pattern in teens robbing 20-somethings in West Philly? Some teens traveling from Upper Darby too. For the last 5 years living in west Philly and keeping up reading the local happenings and crime reports (not to mention there was once my friends and I were robbed at gunpoint on our porch by 2 teens who were super proud of announcing being from Upper Darby)….. I’m just wondering if anyone is noticing that teens travel from west to rob the shit out of U-City people like it’s a thing.
December 8th, 2015 at 9:56 am
Julie, it is absolutely a pattern that my wife and I have also noticed. I think the people to the west see the University City neighborhood as an area filled with college kids and young professionals walking around with expensive phones and fat wallets/purses.
In fact, when I once mentioned to some co-workers where I live, a nearby group overheard me and one of them asked, “You mean you live in one of those big mansions?” I told them that it is just a 3-story twin and they were like, “yup, you live in one of those mansions.” They were from the Lansdowne area.
December 9th, 2015 at 12:32 am
How about a description of the suspects? These postings aren’t that useful to locals without physical descriptions of those accused of the crimes.
January 12th, 2016 at 7:03 pm
For my dear David M, that would contribute to the mounting evidence in favor of racial profiling, and our upenn progressive patrician noses perforce obscure any such discussion.
January 12th, 2016 at 8:20 pm
To David (and Gina) in response to both your comments – you wouldn’t need a description because if you actually read the article, it says that they were able to find and identify one suspect thanks to the cell phone she dropped, photos and all. Being that they were pretty much caught from the start, descriptions for this article could be ommitted.
The information is usually provided where needed – if the cops want a description out, there’s nothing “racially profiling” if you’re giving an honest physical description of the suspect. “Purple man in an orange hoodie, about 5ft 7in and 200 lbs last seen headed east on Spruce carrying a blue metallic backpack” — I see things *like* this in my newsfeeds, and it doesn’t matter what color you are. If you’re wanted and in the news, you’re wanted!