A suspect who was caught on camera during a home invasion in Northeast Philadelphia in September is the neighbor of the victim, sources told NBC10.
Police issued an arrest warrant for Rasheed Holcomb, according to sources. Sources say police believe he is one of the two men who were caught on video pushing into a home in Lawncrest earlier this year as the terrified victim screamed.
The home invasion along the 6400 block of Dorcas Street in Lawncrest occurred around 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 2 when corner store owner Grimilda Vidaca entered through the side door of her home. Surveillance cameras – installed by Vidaca’s family after a home invasion in August – captured the armed masked man in a dark-colored hoodie forcing her into the home.
“The first guy that came in with her had her to the ground with a gun in his hand,” Digna Mercedes Silverio, Vidaca’s 76-year-old mother, told NBC10’s Keith Jones in Spanish.
Mercedes Silverio fought back – you can even see her hands attempt to choke the intruder before he knocked her to the ground and dragged her back into the home.
The second masked man who entered the house kept the women on the kitchen floor while the other man ransacked the home, according to police. The family said the men eventually left out the front door without swiping anything.
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Vidaca suffered minor bruising, said police. But, the attack left Mercedes Silverio with seven stitches in her head and a bruised shoulder.
"That's her, she's tough, actually she's on vacation, she doesn't live out here,” said Vidaca.
Vidaca’s son Kelvin Jimenez said he was angry and that he believed his mother was targeted because she owns a store. “It's a coward act. It's two women," he said.
On Monday police identified Holcomb -- a former neighbor of Vidaca's who was a frequent client at her corner store -- as one of the suspects. Vidaca told NBC10 Holcomb even stopped by the market several days after the crime and claimed he had nothing to do with the home invasion. His visit to the store was captured on surveillance video.
Vidaca told NBC10 Monday night she is still shaken by the home invasion over two months later.
"Every time I open the door to my house I feel as if they're coming towards me," she said. "I'm just waiting for them to be captured because truly they were wrong. They thought they would find money and I have none."
Holcomb has an extensive criminal history, including convictions for robbery, aggravated assault and having an illegal gun. The warrant for his arrest was issued on Oct. 17, according to law enforcement sources. Police continue to search for him.
