Police say two men, ages 20-30, robbed another man at gunpoint near 45th and Pine Streets at around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The victim was coming home from work and was standing outside his apartment building at 315 S 45th Street looking for his keys when he heard someone running up behind him. He turned to see what was going on and saw a man pointing a black semi-automatic handgun at him. The attacker said: “Give me all your stuff!” The victim handed his belongings (a cell phone, $200, a backpack and wallet containing his ID, credit cards and a Kindle) to the second attacker, according to police.
After taking his belongings both males ran off westbound on Pine Street. The victim was not injured. No arrests have been made.
April 16th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
motherf’ers
April 16th, 2012 at 2:10 pm
It’s shameful that many of us are living in fear in our neighborhood — it’s something I feel uncomfortable talking about to friends and family. This is yet another mugging just 2 blocks from my house. I’ve lost count in the last 2 years of how often people are attacked and robbed just a block or two away from us. I feel so bad for the victims; knowing that it makes this place less of a home for them – most likely making them think twice about living here. I am horrified at the realization that this could happen to my kids, to me, to my husband, on any given day at any time. And that it might not end without injury…as we have seen in recent months. I wonder, with deep resentment, if the guys who mug people in this area also live in this area.. and that sickens me. It somehow makes it worse to imagine that these are people stealing from their own neighbors and giving credibility to the bad reputation that West Philly has struggled with for decades.
April 16th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
I find myself driving everywhere, even a few blocks on a gorgeous night. And if I do dare to walk I have my mace out and carry no bag. It’s no way to live.
April 16th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Are we legally permitted to carry pepper spray in Philadelphia?
April 16th, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Here are City of Philadelphia codes – found online
http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.d…hiladelphia_pa
The weapons statutes are found in CHAPTER 10-800. SAFETY
There is a lot there to read, but it looks you can’t carry knives and stun guns around. No mention is made of chemical sprays
April 16th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
@Victoria – Most of them probably live further west but come down this way because affluent college kids are an easy target.
April 17th, 2012 at 12:15 am
if i owned a house here i’d instal camera’s. if anything happened with a few blocks i would turn over the video in case the purps had walked by. maybe a group like ucd can work with home owners to help get a bulk deal on cameras and installation.
April 17th, 2012 at 8:18 am
If an attacker has a handgun, trying to use pepper spray on him is a good way to get yourself shot. I suggest fighting fire with fire and ALWAYS being very alert and aware of your surroundings.
-RJ
April 17th, 2012 at 10:30 am
Fire with fire? Really? Is your Kindle really worth someone’s life?
April 17th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
is using a handgun against someone who pulled a handgun out on you , worth saving your own life? yes.
April 17th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
You know, it would not be far-fetched to suppose someone is encouraging these thugs to terrorize the neighborhood. Scare people, lower the property values, make people want to just give up on this area. A friend and I were mugged the same night by 3 guys. It really shook us up, but in the light of day, I still love this neighborhood, think it’s worth staying in because, honestly, this is happening all over the place. It would be nice if neighbors banned together to find ways of fortifying the area; encouraging bike riding,illumination, and finding a way to close the high bridge over the train tracks on 49th. that is constantly used as a quick getaway.
April 17th, 2012 at 2:59 pm
Oh yeah, they’re totally after our HOUSING PRICES and not cash, phones, computers and anything else people carry. It’s all a massive conspiracy orchestrated by a single criminal mastermind outside the neighborhood. I think you’ve just hit the tip of the iceberg here. Keep investigating!
April 18th, 2012 at 11:42 am
The point of this blog is to encourage awareness and discussion among neighbors, so it’s a shame there are a few commenters who, instead of offering constructive criticism, choose the route of putting their own neighbors down.
When reading and posting on this site, I’m always imagining the other commenters as my very neighbors who could live next door to me or just a few blocks away. There’s no telling how many times we’ve passed each other on the street. This thought is both encouraging and at times very discouraging when I see the wide array of comments around the site.
On another note, I don’t suppose that there is a centralized mission behind the crime in our neighborhoods, but there could be an overall sense that some people in some neighborhoods who have nice phones or computers, etc. are worthy of having crimes committed against them, guilty in some way.
But I only seek to contribute to the discussion.
April 18th, 2012 at 12:28 pm
I think Donna has it completely right. This is a great neighborhood, where I’ve lived for two years and a half. I do not live in fear, but I hate to think that others might be put off by our neighborhood because of crime. Also, driving everywhere increases the opportunities for crime. The more people walking, and to a lesser extent, biking around, the more eyes you will have on the street. Drivers are not a deterrent to anything (except clean air).
The crimes (which are almost entirely muggings) do not seem out of the norm compared to other cities, suburbs where I’ve lived. But that doesn’t make them okay in any way. We need to work together, as a neighborhood, to minimize these threats, as Donna suggests. We need to offer solidarity and care to those who have been harmed, in a physical or mental way.