Police are looking for four men who robbed Forman Mills, a clothing department store at 48th and Market, this afternoon. The robbery happened shortly after 4 p.m. Four armed men in masks came in the store and robbed it of about $500, according to police. No one was hurt. The robbers fled on foot through the parking lot. We’ll post more information when it’s available.

Some of our readers may remember a scam alert we published exactly two years ago of a young woman asking for money in the neighborhood because she said she had been abused by her husband and was looking for a domestic violence shelter. This past weekend we received another report of a female involved in the similar activity. Here’s what our reader, Elle, wrote:

“I got scammed big time by a woman who stopped me in the street (46th and Spruce) and asked me to help her find a domestic violence shelter. She had a really heartbreaking story about escaping from her abusive husband and she was trying to get to a “safety point.” I let her borrow my phone to call the hotline she said she’d been talking with earlier. After overhearing her conversation I ended up giving her (way too much) money to cover her fare to the safety point in the suburbs. I started getting suspicious after she left and checked the call log on my phone. None of the calls were longer than 10 seconds — she had been pretending to talk on the phone so I would overhear her plight and give her money. It’s a pretty despicable scam, but it worked really well.”

While the account we described in our post in 2011 hasn’t changed too much, this time the description of the woman is different. Elle said that it was “a middle aged white woman with dyed red hair, wearing a sweat suit.”

On Friday, May 10, a reader, Rachel, became a pickpocket victim at Honest Tom’s taco shop near 44th and Spruce. Rachel says that her wallet was stolen and that after talking to the owner, she discovered that she was “hit by a notorious West Philly pick pocket who is known by the alias ‘scarface’.” While we are waiting for a response to our police inquiry about this “well known” neighborhood thief, we wanted to alert other residents about this incident.

Penn Police keep an eye on the Honda Accord Friday morning believed to have been used in a string of robberies Thursday night.

Two suspects were arrested last night after a string of armed robberies that occurred within about two hours beginning at approximately 8:30 p.m. at 45th and Sansom.

Police say that the first robbery happened on the 4500 block of Sansom Street when two men, one armed with a black handgun and knife and the other with a silver handgun, approached two people and demanded their phones and wallets. The two men got away with an iPhone, credit cards and about $50 in cash.

The second robbery happened at 42nd and Locust about 30 minutes later, according to police. A man was approached by two males, one showing a black handgun, and ordered to give up his phone. The victim observed the suspects flee in a late model black Honda Accord. The Daily Pennsylvanian has more details on this robbery.

At about 10 p.m. five Drexel University students were robbed near 32nd and Powelton by two men armed with guns. The suspects fled with five iPhones and some cash. The students also described the getaway car as a black Honda.

The third robbery led to a vehicle pursuit then foot pursuit, a police source said. A police helicopter was also involved in the pursuit. Penn Police arrested the suspects around 11 p.m. near the corner of 44th and Baltimore. Their vehicle was still parked there this morning (see photo). There were a total of eight victims in this string of robberies, according to the police source. The investigation is continuing.

UPDATE (1:49 pm): There were three suspects, two men and a woman, who robbed a total of 11 people last night, CBSPhilly reports. In addition to the robberies mentioned earlier, two people were robbed of their iPhones at 43rd and Regent at 8:45 p.m. and a man was robbed of some cash near 42nd and Ludlow at 9 p.m. Two suspects, a man and a woman, both 25, were arrested. The police are still searching for the third robber.

– Mike Lyons

Police have arrested a New York teenager for the December shooting deaths of two men at the University Court Apartments near 46th and Chester.

Murder victim Anthony Fletcher Jr. pictured here on Election Day, 2012. Photo from his Facebook page.

Marco Joaquin, 18, was charged with two counts of murder and aggravated assault in the shooting deaths of Anthony Fletcher Jr., and Dwayne Page, according to court documents.

Fletcher’s father, Anthony “Two Guns” Fletcher Sr. was a prominent welterweight boxer in the Philly area before being convicted of murder in 1993. The son appeared to be on a different path. He was a delegate for his union, District 1199c of the Hospital and Health Care employees, at Hahnemann Hospital. His co-workers wore t-shirts with the union slogan “We Are One” to Fletcher’s December 29 funeral.

Marco Joaquin. (Police photo)

Police say Joaquin shot Fletcher once in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Page was shot in the chest and later died at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. A third man was shot in the head and chest but survived, police said.

A police source said the shooting was drug-related.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 22 at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 306 at the Criminal Justice Center (13th and Filbert).

We hope that the incident described in this post will not deter anyone from helping people. But we agree with our reader, Edith, who sent us this information that this incident is rather disturbing. Here’s what happened to Edith on Saturday morning at the 46th Street El stop:

“I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up. This morning a little before 9:00 a man approached me going into the El station and asked for money. He said he had just gotten out of prison and needed a dollar to get to his mom’s house. When I said I didn’t have any money, he followed me towards the stairs and hit me across the back of my head.

I wasn’t hurt (he mostly got my ponytail) but I am concerned that something similar could happen to someone else with more serious results. I have seen the same man (African-American, middle-aged, clean-shaven, slight build and around 5’8″) other weekend mornings, so I would encourage everyone to exercise caution.”
 

Unfortunately, there was some criminal activity reported in the area last night, including two gunpoint robberies near 51st and Osage and shots fired on 46th street between Walnut and Locust.

The robberies took place around 10 p.m. within a few minutes of each other – the first one was on the 400 block of S. 51st street and the second one on the 500 block of S. 51st Street, according to Joe Murray of the Southwest Detectives. In the second robbery the victim was pistol-whipped.

A reader reported hearing five or six gunshots last night, around 1:20 a.m. near the Watusi Lounge located at the corner of 46th and Walnut, followed by police presence. Police confirmed the incident and said that they apprehended a man with a gun after they were called to the scene. Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident. Police are still investigating the case and we’ll post updates as we get them.