Plainclothes police officers arrested a 57-year-old male during a burglary on the 4000 block of Spruce Street on Tuesday. The buildings on this block are mainly used for off-campus student housing. The man was caught inside a three-story twin house shortly after 2 p.m. when he exited an apartment with a bag filled with stolen items, including a $1000 Mac Book laptop, according to police. A plainclothes police officer was injured during a struggle which ensued when he and another officer tried to detain the suspect. The injured officer was taken to the hospital and treated for a head injury and a broken hand.

Plainclothes police observed the suspect earlier that day when he was first sitting on the steps of one of the buildings and then was walking up and down the block, according to a police report. The officers matched the male’s appearance to an earlier crime alert in the area. When the man entered one of the buildings, the officers followed him and heard some banging noise coming from the second floor. When the officers went to investigate they noticed that the door of one of the apartments was damaged, and then they observed the suspect exiting the apartment with a bag in his hand. The suspect dropped the bag and ran a few feet down the hallway but then turned back and punched one of the officers, according to police. The suspect was arrested after a short struggle.

Police say that this man is also suspected in other burglaries in the area. On Tuesday, a police source said that burglaries were a concern right now.

Police are looking for three men between 18 and 20 years old who they say have been involved in at least four robberies in West Philly over the last two weeks. The first robbery took place on Feb. 8 near 38th and Baring in Mantua, according to police, when the suspects robbed a pizza delivery man at gunpoint. An undisclosed amount of cash was taken in that robbery. Police say the same three men used a gun to rob a 27-year-old woman near her apartment entrance at 44th and Pine on Feb. 12. They reportedly took the woman’s phone and purse.

The third robbery took place in Powelton Village, near 31st and Hamilton on Sunday, when the men robbed a 20-year-old woman, also at gunpoint, near her apartment, according to police.

The latest robbery happened on Monday, Feb. 16, when the suspects responded to a Craigslist ad by a person who was selling a paintball gun. The seller brought the paintball gun to a location near 41st and Spring Garden where he was robbed at gunpoint by the same three men, according to police. They reportedly took the man’s laptop and cell phone.  Continue Reading

Police arrested an 18-year-old man early this morning following two confrontational home invasions on the 400 block of S. 47th St. and the 500 block of S. 48th.

Police say a woman awoke at a home on the 400 block of S. 47th at about 3 a.m. after she heard someone walking in the hallway. She told police that a young male, who broke in through the front door, entered her bedroom and demanded money. The man fled the home with the victim’s iPhone. She was able to track the phone to an area near 48th and Larchwood using a phone tracking app, according to a police report.

About 20 minutes later a man on the 500 block of S. 48th Street awoke to a young man slapping him in the face, demanding money and threatening to shoot him. The victim and suspect went down to the first floor of the home where the victim took out his phone and attempted to call police, according to the police report. The suspect grabbed his phone and broke it. The victim then grabbed his work phone and tried to call, but the suspect broke that phone as well. The victim gave the suspect cash and the suspect ordered him to return to the second floor. When the victim refused the suspect began swinging a ladder at him before fleeing the home. The victim sustained minor injuries in this confrontation, police said.

Police apprehended the man near the home. They said that no weapon was found when the suspect was caught.

Police have not released the name of the young man, who lives on the 4800 block of Walton St. They say he may be involved in a recent string of armed robberies in the area as well.

This one was about as easy as it gets for police. A resident on the 4300 block of Baltimore Avenue reported a burglary after she was awoken just before 2 a.m. on Thursday by noises and a first floor security alarm.

The resident found a window open, several thousand dollars worth items missing from the first floor of the house and cinder blocks stacked outside below the window. Police arrived to find many of the items in an alley near the home. As the scene investigation continued, police noticed someone peering around the corner of a building on 44th Street. When the man reached for his ID after being stopped by police, an i-Phone that was later identified as the resident’s fell out of his pocket.

The man, 20-year-old Lakim McDonald of the 5600 block of Washington Ave., faces burglary and related charges.

Joe Murray of Southwest Detectives tweeted about the arrest earlier today:

This has been another episode of Being A Cop Is Really Easy Sometimes.

— Joseph Murray (@PPDJoeMurray) October 3, 2014

A man who was allegedly approaching cars and people in West Fairmount Park and demanding money in recent weeks, has been arrested. Described as a white male in his late 30s/early 40s, the man was aggressively approaching mostly women with young children near the Please Touch Museum and other family-friendly areas, according to reports. Police were informed and were on the lookout and caught up with the unidentified man Sunday outside the Philadelphia Zoo, NBC10 reports.

Several people posted on social media about encounters with the panhandler. He approached a West Philly woman last Wednesday at Belmont and Lansdowne and told her that he was a Temple University professor and that his name was Shawn Sullivan. He told the woman, who posted about her experience on the TotLot listserv, that his wife and kids had been in a car accident and that he needed a ride to the scene of the accident or some money. He told many others similar stories, according to NBC10. He even approached the NBC10 news van and asked for cash while they were filming a news report about him after hearing of complaints. In some cases, the man was loud, looked agitated and was aggressive, especially when people refused to give him money.

We’ll update when we have more information.

Thursday night was a busy night for police in West Philly, who responded to a report of a shooting near 50th and Osage and also apprehended a person in connection with a theft from a vehicle in the area. Here are the details.

A young man was shot twice in the leg at about 7:30 p.m. near 50th and Osage. The victim, a 23-year-old male, was walking on 50th Street heading toward Osage Avenue when he suddenly noticed he was being followed by three males, according to a police report. One of the males said to him “Yo, I got that weed”. When the victim turned around he noticed one of the males was armed with a black handgun. The victim then started to run when he heard multiple gunshots. As he was running he felt a pain in his right calf and noticed he was bleeding. He continued running until he noticed the police at 49th & Spruce Street. He was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania by fire rescue.

The suspects, described as young black males, two wearing all black clothing and the third wearing a sky blue hoody, ran South on 50th Street toward a grayish colored four-door Pontiac or Oldsmobile that was parked along the 400 block of S. 50th Street. The vehicle then fled North on 50th Street from Osage Avenue, according to police. A similarly described vehicle was involved in a robbery on March 12 on the 4600 block of Hazel Avenue.

West Philly Local readers reported that they heard at least eight gunshots last night. Police recovered nine 9mm fired cartridge casings and two bullet fragments at the scene.

Also on Thursday, at around 10:30 p.m.,18th District undercover police officers caught a man breaking into an unlocked car at 49th and Larchwood, arrested him and recovered the stolen belongings, according to a tweet by Joe Murray of Southwest Police Detectives.

The car he got into was unlocked and started trying doors around 45/Osage. Remember to lock your car. Nice job by the cops.

— Joseph Murray (@PPDJoeMurray) March 21, 2014