Alleged Chinatown Groper Arrested

Suspect busted when he reported to his probation officer

Philadelphia Police say they’ve arrested a suspect in a series of recent gropings in the city's Chinatown community..

24-year old Melvin Bulls was arrested Friday when he reported to his probation officer.  Bulls is charged with indecent assault, simple assault and related offenses.

A warrant was issued after police say they received an anonymous phone tip Tuesday that the man depicted in surveillance video grabbing the buttocks of two females in Chinatown last Thursday was Bulls.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Marvin Bulls in connection to gropings in Chinatown.

These are the details of the incidents.

After releasing vague details earlier Monday, police told NBC10's Rosemary Connors Monday afternoon that the first alleged groping happened just before 5 p.m. Thursday when a 12-year-old girl walking home from the Chinatown Learning Center along the 1000 block of Spring Street.

A source close to the Chinatown school community told NBC10 the girl had already left to go home but forgot her backpack at school. In the few moments before she met her mother after retrieving the backpack, the suspect touched her buttocks and then ran off, according to investigators.

The second incident happened about an hour later on 11th Street near Vine Street. This time police say that he grabbed the rear of a 23-year-old woman before running off.

NBC10 spoke to local residents about the incidents.

"It's disgusting," said Meghan Kramer of Doylestown. "It's really creepy to know that people are like that."

"It's kind of disgusting," said Shonta McLean of South Philadelphia. "If somebody comes and touches my butt I'm punching them in the face." 

"It's nice and bright at 5 and he wasn't even scared at all," said Jennifer Sao of South Philadelphia. "So who knows what else he might do." 

NBC10 also spoke with Carol Wong, Director of the Learning Center that the girl attended.

"It would be traumatic for anyone," said Wong. "But sometimes I think it's even more traumatic for people to say wow, she was 12. It scares everybody a little bit."


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