Three partially masked men, two armed with handguns, tied up the employees of a North Philadelphia print and design store then swiped a suitcase filled with thousands of dollars in cash.
Thursday’s midday robbery at Universal Graphics on North 5th Street in the city’s Olney neighborhood played out on surveillance video released by Philadelphia police on Friday.
In the video you see one of the robbers standing at the front desk around 11:40 a.m.
“I thought he was my customer,” said an employee, who said he is too afraid to be named when he spoke to NBC10 Friday.
Then a second man enters and quickly pulls out a gun. A third man, carrying an umbrella, then joins the others inside.
"Two guys came later with a gun and pulled a gun on me and I got scared," said the worker. "I couldn’t do anything."
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The three men then forced the employee at the reception desk to the back of the business; the worker had his hands up the entire time. Once in the back, the robbers forced the front-desk worker and other employees onto the ground and tied them up with duct tape. The robbers then ransacked cabinets.
One robber can be seen holding a gun as he drags a worker across the floor. Another robber can be seen going back to add more tape to the wrists of a worker. The other robber appeared to watch the front door.
The robbers took a suitcase containing around $40,000 and two iPhones before running off westbound on Widener Street.
The workers were able to free themselves and gave chase, police said. At that time, one of the robbers fired a single shot that missed.
None of the workers were hurt, police said. They even returned to work on Friday.
The suspects wore unique clothing during the heist, police said:
One wore a light-gray hoodie under a dark-colored jacket with Deadpool character and No. 91 patches and wore royal blue L.A. Gear underwear. Another suspect wore a red zip-up jacket and had on what appeared to be a Muslim head covering. The third man wore a dark pullover jacket with a white Nike logo on it and had on oversized yellow-tinted sunglasses.
Anyone who spots the robbers should call 911. If you have any information, police ask you to contact detectives at 215-686-3353 or 3354. You can also text a tip to PPD TIP or 773847.
