Detectives have arrested a man and woman from Tacony in connection with four armed robberies, including one in which the crooks stole a bank card and tried to use it at a convenience store minutes after the crime.
Nicole Smith, 31, of the 7100 block of Montague St., contacted police on Saturday to surrender. She also identified her alleged accomplice as Michael Coccio, 30, of the 7200 block of Tulip St., a police source said.
On Jan. 13 shortly after 11 p.m., Smith and Coccio allegedly tried to use a stolen debit card inside the 7-Eleven at 3301 Tyson Ave. Although the suspects got away, detectives determined that the bank card had been stolen minutes earlier from a man in his 20s during a gunpoint robbery on the 6500 block of Hawthorne St.
The robbers were seen using a black Ford Explorer.
On Jan. 16, police Tweeted a relatively sharp full-color image of the woman that had been recovered from a store surveillance camera. Smith called police two days later.
Upon further investigation, detectives now believe that the same crooks were responsible for a recent armed robbery at Juliano’s Deli, 5558 Torresdale Ave., as well as two street-corner robberies on the 5800 block of Ditman St. and the 1900 block of Wakeling St.
Smith has no prior criminal record. Coccio was arrested twice in 2012 on drug-related charges. Both have been charged with four counts of robbery and related crimes and remain in Philadelphia prison custody. Coccio’s bail has been set at $75,000 and Smith’s at $100,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 4. ••
