Posted on 06 January 2014 by WestPhillyLocal.com
Police are searching for two suspects who robbed the Hualai Chinese restaurant near 51st and Walnut early Monday morning, according to reports. The incident took place at around 1 a.m. when the suspects entered the restaurant, forced the owners – a husband and wife – to the back of the restaurant, and pistol-whipped both of them. The suspects took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled in a black car.
The restaurant owners were taken to the hospital and are listed in stable condition, CBS Philly reports. No more details and no surveillance video are available at this time. We’ll update when we have more information.
Posted on 22 December 2013 by WestPhillyLocal.com
Updated with details at 12:57 p.m.
Police caught two men yesterday after a report of a gunpoint robbery at 45th and Pine. The robbery took place around 5:20 p.m., according to police, and the victim was also pistol-whipped. The police arrived quickly after the incident was reported, chased and caught both men. One of them was armed with a gun, according to a tweet by officer Joe Murray (@PPDJoeMurray) of the Southwest Police Detectives.
The victim, a 41-year-old male, said he was walking down the 4500 block of Pine Street, stopped at his mother’s house and pulled out his cell phone, according to a police report. He said two males approached him and when he looked down again at his cell phone, he felt an object strike him in the side of the head. He fell to the ground, looked up and saw one man holding a gun. One suspect said “Take the phone” to other, the victim told police.
The victim quickly ran into his mother’s home and called police. After a brief foot pursuit, police apprehended one of the suspects near 47th and Spruce. He had a 25-caliber handgun. The other suspect was captured on the 4600 block of Spruce Street. The victim identified the suspects, both of whom were 17 years old, according to a police report.
The victim received five stitches at Mercy Hospital and was released.
Posted on 09 December 2013 by WPL
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.
Posted on 19 November 2013 by Mike Lyons
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.
Posted on 15 November 2013 by WPL
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).
Posted on 12 November 2013 by WestPhillyLocal.com
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.
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