Police are investigating another shooting outside of a residence in the Cedar Park neighborhood last night, on the same block where a man was shot and wounded last Friday. Police say shots were fired Thursday night around 6:30 p.m., on the 4900 block of Catharine Street.

Officers from the 18th District responded to a call of “a person with a gun” and found eight shell casings. Police say no victims were present. The investigation continues.

A man who was reportedly released on parole was shot in both legs at around 6:30 p.m. last night on the 4900 block of Catharine Street, about 20 feet from the Cedar Park playground.

Police showed up soon after shooting was reported, but couldn’t find any victims. Later they found the 32-year-old man at Temple University hospital where he had been dropped off, according to GunCrisis.org. The victim is listed in stable condition. A house near where the man was shot has been associated with criminal activity, according to a neighbor. Apparently, it was a shootout between two people.

GunCrisis.org reports that the shooting was one of at least a half-dozen across the city last night.

Some residents near the corner of St. Bernard and Springfield are reporting that they heard between four and six gunshots and screaming just before 3 a.m. this morning outside of the African Cultural Center, which has been criticized in the past for late-night parties. They witnessed a lot of people running away from the center’s entrance, towards their cars to leave. Several police cars later arrived. At this point it’s not known if any arrests were made or if anyone was injured.

Several residents worked last year to bring attention to late-night events at the cultural center, which in recent years has been rented out by the owners for cover-charge events that typically run into the early morning hours. The problem is that the center, which also occasionally hosts wedding receptions and other events, is in a residential area.

– Mike Lyons

A late-night robbery spree this week led to two arrests, according to police. Three robberies – at 46th and Chester, 45th and Larchwood, and 42nd and Osage – happened within 15-20 minutes from one another, beginning around 11:55 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12 and going into early Wednesday. The Osage and Larchwood Avenue robberies were at a gunpoint, said Joseph Murray of the Southwest Detectives (@PPDJoeMurray).

That same night, the 18th district police arrested two suspects they believe were involved in these incidents. One of the arrested men is suspected in the Chester and Osage Avenue robberies.

54-year-old Anthony Dent was arrested in connection with two recent burglaries, including the burglary at City Tap House, according to police. Both burglaries were captured by surveillance cameras. On January 18, at 7:30 a.m., Dent apparently entered the City Tap House building located at 3925 Walnut Street, took a laptop computer from an office, then stole assorted meats from the freezer and fled through the back emergency exit door.

On January 26 around 5:30 a.m. Dent entered a building located on the 3800 block of Chestnut Street by prying the side door open with a large screwdriver, took some items, including assorted power tools, and placed them in a parked vehicle. He then returned to the building several times for more items, according to police. The suspect was captured on surveillance video on 39th Street where he placed the tools into a parked silver Volvo XC90 and fled.

Dent was arrested on the 1600 block of 62nd Street and charged with burglary, theft and other related offenses.

(Source: Philly Police Blog).

Map Source: University City District (click to enlarge).

Crime dropped in the University City District (The Schuylkill River to 50th Street, Spring Garden Street to Woodland Avenue) last year in comparison to 2011, according to a report issued this week. Specifically, this concerns such crimes as unarmed robberies (down by 30%), aggravated assaults (down by 35%), and residential burglaries (down by 36%).

One area though is a cause for concern – the number of auto thefts dramatically increased in 2012 – by 43%, from 100 to approximately 150 incidents. The UCD is asking residents and visitors to “use common sense when parking or leaving your car for the night” and “make sure you lock up and remove any valuable objects from plain sight.”

Other serious crimes, like armed robberies and thefts from automobiles have slightly decreased (by 6% and 9% respectively). There are still about 100 robberies with a gun per year and almost 250 thefts from cars in the neighborhood (see photo below).

In January, 2013, 18 serious crimes were committed within the University City District boundaries (see the map) and three related arrests have been made, according to the report.

To sign up for UCD’s monthly Crime Update please email: mark@universitycity.org

A neighbor, Vinicio Guevara, snapped this photo last Sunday, at the corner of 44th and Spruce. One of the windows was smashed and a stereo was stolen from this car.

Police have charged a 19-year-old West Philadelphia woman in the abduction of a 5-year-old girl from Bryant Elementary School (6001 Cedar Avenue) with rape, kidnapping and related charges.

Police say Christina Regusters was the woman who donned Muslim clothing and a face veil, impersonated the girl’s mother and took her from the school on the morning of  Jan. 14. The girl was found by a passerby hiding on a playground in Upper Darby the following morning. Regusters and three others were picked up at a home yesterday on the 6200 block of Walton Street. The other three people were released, but police say they have not been ruled out as suspects.

Regusters worked at an after-school program that the girl attended, police said. Video surveillance and the young girl’s description of the street and home have been vital in the investigation.

– Mike Lyons