Editor’s Note: As is often the case with surveillance videos released by police, we debated how to report on this for fear of reinforcing stereotypes. In the end we decided to publish the video to help with some measure of justice, but also to maybe start a conversation about what our responsibility as citizens are in a situation like this. 

Police are asking for the public’s help in finding a young man who attacked and robbed a 39-year-old woman in what appears to have begun as a bump while getting off the trolley.

The incident took place at around 5:30 p.m., July 10 at 47th Street and Baltimore Avenue. Today, police released surveillance video where the attack can be seen (see below). The woman was exiting the route 34 Trolley when she appeared to push or bump into the man who was standing in the doorway. The suspect can be seen throwing something at the woman after she exited (police say it was a cup). He then followed the woman, punched her and after a brief struggle grabbed her headphones. The suspect can then be seen getting back on the trolley before quickly exiting and fleeing on foot toward 46th Street.

The victim was treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she received two stitches to her lip, according to police.

The suspect is described as a black male, 20 years old, 5’11”, thin build, clean shaven, wearing a dark colored t-shirt with writing on the front. He was also wearing black shorts and had a multicolored backpack with thin shoulder straps.

Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact Southwest Detective Division, Det. McDermott #770 by calling 215-686-3183/3184. You can also text a tip to PPD TIP or 773847.

Despite the recent arrest of a teenager who tried rob an undercover cop earlier this week, police are reporting that another gunpoint robbery took place last night. This time a 23-year-old man was robbed at about 10 p.m. along the 4600 block of Hazel Avenue by a man with a silver handgun who police believe escaped in a grey sedan.

Police say the victim was walking down 46th Street and had just made the turn onto Hazel when he noticed a grey car parked and idling. As he continued along Hazel, he also noticed a man walking slowly in front of him. As he passed, the man pointed a small silver handgun at him, made him sit down on the front steps of a nearby home and demanded his wallet and cell phone, according to a police report.

As he was being robbed, the victim noticed the grey sedan slowly approaching. The robber told the man to run toward 47th Street. When the victim looked back the car and the man were both gone.

The victim was not injured.

The suspect is described as a black male, about 6-feet-two-inches tall with a thin build, about 20 years old wearing a grey hoodie and black sweat pants.

This is the latest in a string of robberies in the area round Baltimore Avenue from 46th to 49th Streets. Police arrested a teenager earlier this week who tried to rob an undercover police officer who they say confessed to other recent robberies.

Police are asking those with information to call 215-686-TIPS or text short code PPDTIP. You can also submit anonymously here.

Editor’s Note: We chose not to publish the name of the teenager involved in this case. We take into account the severity of the crime, whether they are charged as an adult and a suspect’s previous record when we make that decision.

Police arrested a 16-year-old early after he tried to rob an undercover police officer at gunpoint near 47th and Springfield on Monday night. The teen also confessed to a string of recent robberies in the neighborhood, according to police.

Police say four undercover officers were patrolling (two on foot and two in an unmarked car) on 47th Street when a male started following one of the officers at about midnight. Near 48th and Springfield, the young man came up behind the officer, “put a silver handgun to his head” and shouted “Give it up. Just give it to me. Give it to me,” according to a police report.

The officer handed over an iPhone and as the young man pulled the gun away from his head, the officer hit it with his elbow, knocking the gun to the ground.

According to the police report:

“The male … began to struggle with the officer by punching and kicking him. They fell to the ground where the male continued to kick and swing at the officer until the other officers came to his assistance and were finally able to get the male into custody.”

The officer was treated for cuts at Mercy Hospital and released.

Although the gun looked authentic, it was a replica that did not fire, according to the report.

The male, whose name we are not publishing, was charged with assaulting a police officer and robbery.

Police say that the male also confessed to three other robberies on Sunday and Monday in the neighborhood, including one at 45th and Spruce, with two other teens.

Police listed the teen arrested during the robbery of the police officer as living on the 1300 block of Ellsworth Street in South Philly. He had no previous record.

Police are searching for a suspect in two gunpoint robberies that happened Sunday night about midnight on the 900 block of South 47th Street and on 49th Street near Chester Avenue. Police believe the same man – a black male, approximately 20 years old, about 5-foot-8-inches tall, wearing a green hoody and blue jeans – is responsible for both robberies.

The first robbery happened at about at about 11:45 p.m. when the suspect approached a couple, ages 26 and 28, who were walking down 47th Street near Warrington. Brandishing a silver handgun, the man demanded their cell phones and wallets, which they did. He fled south on 47th Street.

The second robbery occurred about 45 minutes later a few blocks away, near 49th and Chester, when police say the same suspect with a silver handgun demanded money and a cell phone from a 36-year-old male.

None of the victims were injured. Police are asking those with information to call 215-686-TIPS or text short code PPDTIP. You can also submit anonymously here.

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.

UPDATED (1/25/14, 9:45 a.m.): Two female suspects in the robbery spree have been arrested, 6ABC reports. Police are still looking for the two male suspects.

(1/24/14, 11:41 p.m.): Police are searching for a group of suspects involved in multiple robberies at West and Southwest Philly shops and restaurants, including three Thursday night robberies and attempted robberies at Stacy’s Pizza (4201 Market St), the Garden Court Eatery (4725 Pine St), and Gold Star Pizza (4627 Woodland Ave).

The robbery spree began last week, on January 18, when a group of four young people – two males and two females –  wearing masks robbed the Subway sandwich shop at 56th and Lancaster after pointing a handgun at an employee. The robbery took place around 6 p.m. and police say that all of the suspects are between 17 and 20 years old. They fled the store in a turquoise sedan. Later that night, at around 10:15 p.m., two males robbed Hibachi Grill located at 3000 Island Ave, also at gunpoint.

Police say the other three robberies and robbery attempts took place Thursday night, in the area between Market St and Woodland Ave and 42nd and 48th streets. The first took place at approximately 10:30 p.m. at the Gold Star Pizza restaurant when an unknown male, described as a 20-23 year-old black male with light mustache and a beard, walked into the store and after looking at the menu demanded money from the cashier. When the cashier attempted to alert other employees who were in the back of the store the suspect pulled a handgun. The cashier told the suspect that she didn’t have any money and the man fled the store, according to police.

The second incident happened about 15 minutes later at the Garden Court Eatery when a man fitting the above mentioned description, walked into the store pointing a gun at a female employee and demanding money. The employee started screaming and the suspect fled the store.

The third incident, at Stacy’s Pizza, took place at around 11:20 p.m. and this time two robbers were able to escape with an unknown amount of cash after pointing a gun at the cashier and forcing her to open the cash register. The robbers fled in a red Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows.

Police have released surveillance video of the incidents and ask anyone with information about these individuals to contact Southwest Detectives Division at 215-686-3183/3184 or call 911 immediately if you see them.