Two people were robbed at gunpoint near 48th and Larchwood on early Sunday morning, according to police. The robbery took place around 1:30 a.m. when a 30-year-old man and 30-year-old woman were approached by two male teens (approximately 15-16 year-olds). One of them pointed a silver handgun at the man and said: “Give it up or it’s gonna be a homicide,” according to a police report. The suspects fled with two cell phones, keys, one of the victims’ ID and some cash.

Police say that the victims didn’t report the incident until 3:30 p.m. on Sunday and said they would not recognize the attackers if they saw them again.

Related post: Uptick in robberies reported by police, residents

Residents and police are reporting an uptick in robberies in recent weeks, which often happens during the summer months. We have included a few reports below of the most recent incidents. Be careful out there.

The following message was posted in the West Philly Local forum on July 27:

“Hey community,
I have been a West Philly resident for ten years without any problems. This past month I was attacked twice by teenagers between 49th and 50th and Locust and Walnut. Please use much caution when walking around at night. Police have reported that this has been an every-night occurrence.”

Police have confirmed that there was a higher number of robberies, including gunpoint robberies, committed by teenagers in the area this month. Police say they have already detained some of the suspects and are working on identifying the others. Here are some of the latest robbery reports:  Continue Reading

The owner of a Baltimore Avenue business was attacked overnight in an attempted gunpoint robbery, according to police. The attack took place around 12:30 a.m. on Friday when 65-year-old Thomas Lee, owner of One Stop Fresh Deli at the corner of 49th and Baltimore, was taking out the trash behind the store and was approached by an unknown young male who pointed a gun at his head and demanded money.

The man also tried to push his way into the back door of the store, according to a police report, but Lee resisted and tried to fight him off. A struggle ensued with both men rolling on the ground, which drew attention from passersby, according to police. The attacker fled without taking anything. Lee sustained minor injuries in the attack, police said. The description of the suspect is very vague.  Continue Reading

UPDATE (11:20 a.m.): An 18-year-old woman was robbed at gunpoint and pistol-whipped early Tuesday morning near 44th and Baltimore, according to police and reader reports. The robbery took place around 2:15 a.m. This report came from one of our readers, a close friend of the victim:

“…A friend of ours… was robbed at gun point around 2 a.m. this morning at 44th and [Baltimore]. She was with a female friend in Clark Park after having finished a shift at a local restaurant when two males approached her and demanded her bag. She resisted and one of the males “pistol whipped” her across her left arm, forcefully taking the bag. She chased the male who took her bag north on 44th st. [to 44th and Larchwood], screaming as she went, which woke my wife and I from our sleep. After the male got into a silver vehicle she came to our door, understandably upset and asking for help. We called local police who appeared to have already been notified by someone else in the community and they eventually took her to the station at 55th and Pine to make a statement to detectives.”

Police said that the male with the gun struck the victim about five times on her left arm during the struggle for her bag. The victim sustained lumps and bruises to the arm and was taken to the hospital for treatment, according to police.

Here’s the map of robbery reports in West Philly for the past two weeks (June 2-16, 2015). Note: the robbery described in this post is not included in the map.

Source: Crimereports.com

Police have released some details on a few robberies that took place in the area last week.

Two teenagers were arrested for an attempted mid-day robbery on May 20 on the 4200 block of Pine Street. The incident happened at around 2 p.m. when the suspects, 16 and 18 years old, walked by a 25-year-old man, then stopped and attempted to rob him. The man resisted and the suspects ran off, according to police. They were caught a few blocks away. No injuries were reported.

A gunpoint robbery took place on May 22 at around 11 p.m. on the 4900 block of Spruce Street. Police say a young man ran from behind a 26-year-old woman, who was on her way home from work, and cut her off. He then pointed a small black gun with two barrels at her and demanded her bag. He also took the woman’s phone from her pants pocket. After robbing the woman the man and another male who was on a bike fled north on 49th Street, according to police. The woman wasn’t injured.

Also on May 22, a 19-year-old male was arrested at 52nd and Kingsessing after robbing a 22-year-old woman. The robbery took place shortly after 10 p.m. on the 4600 block of Chester Avenue when the suspect approached the woman and robbed her of her pocketbook which contained several items. The man fled the scene on a bike. Police recovered the victim’s phone.

There have also been several burglaries in the area in the last two weeks, and a police source says that burglaries “are definitely an issue right now.” We’re trying to get more information. See the map below (source: Crimereports.com) for the reports of robberies and burglaries from May 12 to May 26, 2015.

Police are searching for a person who robbed the Garden Court Eatery at 4725 Pine Street early Saturday morning, according to Joseph Murray of Southwest Detectives. The robbery happened shortly before 1 a.m. and the suspect is described as a 25-year-old black male with a beard wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and armed with a gun. A female employee was at the store at the time of the robbery, according to police. The suspect took an unknown amount of money and cigarettes and fled the store. No injuries were reported.

This is the second time that the Garden Court Eatery has been targeted in the past month. There was a robbery attempt on January 23 when a male suspect walked into the store, pointed a gun at a female employee and demanded money. After the woman started screaming, the suspect ran away.