Surveillance photo
A group of serial armed robbers has been striking fear into merchants in far-reaching sections of the city, including the Northeast, according to Philadelphia police, who seek the public’s help in identifying the bandits.
As many as four men have been involved in at least one of a half-dozen heists between April 29 and May 24 in the Northeast, North and West areas of the city.
Detectives have surveillance video of two men who robbed the 7-Eleven at 9901 Frankford Ave. in Morrell Park on May 18. The robbers entered the store at 4:14 a.m. with guns drawn and immediately forced a clerk to empty cash registers. The crooks grabbed $300 cash as well as a carton of cigarettes, then fled in an unknown direction.
Six days later, police say, one of the men used similar tactics to rob the 7-Eleven at 7901 Frankford Ave. in Holmesburg. Surveillance cameras filmed that incident, too. The robber entered the store alone, pointed a handgun at a clerk and demanded money. He made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and ran southbound on Frankford Avenue.
Also on May 24, four men — including two of the same suspects — robbed Forman Mills on the 4800 block of Market St. in West Philly, police said. The three other cases all involved the same two men that committed the May 18 heist. The locations were Dollar General at 2815 Ridge Ave. in Strawberry Mansion on April 29, Little Caesar’s at 5901 Lancaster Ave. in Overbrook on May 15 and Dollar General at 801 N. 48th St. in West Philly on May 22.
The lone robber of the Holmesburg 7-Eleven was described as black man with a dark complexion, early to mid-20s, 6 feet tall, thin build with a thin moustache. He wore dark gloves, a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. In the Morrell Park case, the same robber wore a black mask and jeans. His partner in the Morrell Park case was a Hispanic man in his early 20s, with a black jacket, red bandanna over his face, jeans and gloves.
To report information about the robberies, call 215–686-TIPS or text to PPD TIP. To report the immediate location of the suspects or a police emergency, call 911. ••
