A 38-year-old man was shot and abducted Sunday night near 49th and Springfield, according to various reports. Police say the man, a South Philadelphia resident, was driving in the area last night (around 10 p.m., according to a neighbor report), when a group of men traveling in a white van marked “Soft Touch Cleaning Service” opened fire on him.

The man’s car crashed into a utility pole. The men allegedly jumped out of the van, bound the victim with duct tape and drove him to Northeast Philadelphia where he was shot again and robbed, ABC6 is reporting. The man was found around 11:30 p.m. lying in the street on the 7500 block of Summerdale Ave in Northeast Philly, according to GunCrisis.org. He was transported to the hospital and is listed in very critical condition with three gunshot wounds.

The man was robbed of $3,800 during the attack and initially told the police that he was attacked after leaving SugarHouse Casino. However, police now say that the man wasn’t at the casino before the attack. A police source said that the attack may be drug related. The investigation continues.

Some neighbors reported hearing two rounds of gunshots last night at 10 p.m. near 49th and Springfield and police presence. According to a neighbor report, Springfield Avenue was closed this morning between 50th and St. Bernard, with a black Cadillac driven into a telephone pole.

You see them all the time especially in late November and December – those UPS, FedEx and U.S. Postal Service trucks driving up and down neighborhood streets delivering would-be holiday gifts. Potential thieves see them too. The University City District has issued a reminder that porch thefts, particularly of packages, increase this time of year.

Here are some tips that might help make sure you get your deliveries this year (please feel free to add your own tips in the comments):

• Encourage neighbors to look out for your deliveries and vice versa and bring them inside.
• Have your package delivered to your workplace (if you have an understanding boss).
• Track deliveries and sign up for text message confirmation of delivery.
• Request signature confirmation of delivery. Delivery folks will try again at a later time if you’re not home.
• Provide delivery instructions requesting the package be stowed somewhere out of sight.
• Some online retailers, such as Amazon, offer delivery to secured “lockers” scattered around the city where you can lick the package up at your convenience. The two we could find in West Philly are both at 7-Elevens. One is at 3440 Market Street and the other at 3401 Lancaster Avenue.

Of course, our favorite option of all:

Shop Local!

Police are looking for leads in a recent series of gunpoint robberies at businesses in West Philadelphia.

The robbery spree began at about 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 13 at the Natural Coffee near 52nd Street and Baltimore Avenue when a man wearing a blue hoodie with white strings and a blue mask entered the store and demanded cash. The man fled with an undetermined amount of cash.

A man fitting the same description robbed the Cricket Mobile store at 5547 Baltimore Ave. at about 1 p.m. on Nov. 14. About an hour later, police say the same man robbed the Lucky 7 Food Market at 54 N. 57th St. Two more robberies were reported that day – one at about 7:20 at the Ace Cash Express near 52nd and one another 40 minutes later at Daslin Grocery at 700 S. 55th. The suspect in those robberies matched the previous ones, according to police.

A store employee at Ace Cash Express said the man entered the business at closing time and demanded cash. The employee pushed the “panic button” and after several attempts to open the cash register the suspect took $3 from the employee and fled.

Police describe the suspect as a black male, about 20 years old who was about 5 feet, 6 inches tall with a dark complexion.

To report a tip, do one of the following:

• To submit a tip via telephone, dial 215.686.TIPS (8477)
• Text a tip to PPD TIP or 773847.
• Use this electronic form to submit a tip anonymously.

This video of the suspect was posted on the  Philadelphia Police YouTube Channel.

A police source says that the person who robbed and sexually assaulted a 29-year-old woman at gunpoint on the morning of October 14 near 50th and Hazel, has been caught. More details, including the person’s identity, are not available at this time as the police are still working on some evidence. We’ll post more information when we have it.

The police released surveillance video earlier this week of the suspect, a young African American male, who was seen walking in the area prior to the 50th and Hazel robbery and assault, which happened around 11:50 a.m. The man is also wanted for questioning in relation to at least seven other armed robberies and attempted robberies in the area, stretching for over a month, between October 1 and November 3 (6ABC has more details about these incidents).

Editor’s Note: Readers’ comments are welcomed. We received a request though not to identify the block or houses seen in the video or neighbors whose surveillance camera or cameras might have been used.

The man who, armed with a gun, robbed and sexually assaulted a 29-year-old woman on the morning of October 14 on the 5000 block of Hazel Avenue, is still at large. The police have released surveillance video of the suspect and are asking for public’s assistance in identifying this person. On the video below, the suspect, an 18-20 year-old man wearing a red t-shirt and dark colored pants, can be seen walking in the area prior to the assault that took place around 11:50 a.m.

The suspect is also wanted in connection to several other robberies in the area, according to police.

If you see this person, you are asked not to approach him but to call 911 immediately. To submit a tip via telephone, dial 215.686.TIPS (8477) or text a tip to PPD TIP or 773847.

This map shows the location where the robbery took place and where the robber was chased.

This one didn’t end so well for the robber.

A 25-year-old woman was robbed at gunpoint early Thursday morning on the way to her apartment near Florence Ave and St. Bernard St., but thanks to the brave actions of another young woman, who was walking her dog nearby and who chased down the robber, the victim’s belongings were retrieved.

The incident happened around 2 a.m., according to police. The 25-year-old parked her car on the 800 block of St. Bernard and was walking to her apartment and talking on her cell phone when she heard someone behind her say something. She turned and saw a man in his 30’s standing behind her holding a black gun in his hand. The woman dropped her handbag and began screaming loudly. The man picked up her bag and ran south on St. Bernard. The bag contained several textbooks, police said.

A 24-year-old woman was walking her dog in the area of Florence and St. Bernard when she heard loud screams, police said. She ran towards the screaming and saw a male running south with a bag. The woman gave chase, with her dog leading the way, onto Warrington Ave and found the robber attempting to scale a high fence in a rear yard with the gun still in his hand. The man turned and saw the woman and waved the gun in her direction. He then ran past her west on Warrington and south on 50th Street. The woman recovered the stolen bag and returned it to the owner. No injuries were reported.

Some West Philly Local readers who live in that area heard loud screams by a woman and wrote us to report them and police presence shortly afterwords.

A caveat here: While this one ended well for the victim and the chaser, police obviously do not recommend confrontations with armed robbers.