A recent string of armed robberies have people in a popular Philadelphia neighborhood on alert.
"It's really scary and shocking," said Elizabeth Godown. "I'm going to be more concerned about this neighborhood. I think that it definitely dispels the idea that crime is something that happens in only certain parts of the city."
Police are searching for a group of armed robbers who they say are targeting pedestrians in the Queen Village and Point Breeze sections of the city -- the most recent of six attacks targeted a woman in daylight hours.
On Oct. 22, around 8 a.m., police say two men approached a 41-year-old woman on the 1300 block of S 5th Street -- one had a gun. One of the men can be seen on video grabbing the woman’s bags, containing debit cards, keys and a cell phone, and knocking her to the ground. The suspects then fled with the bag to an awaiting getaway vehicle.
A short time later, police say a third suspect was captured on surveillance video making transactions with the woman’s credit cards. The video then shows the first two suspects placing the purchased items in the same Toyota Camry used in the robberies.
This wasn't the first time the men and woman struck.
On Oct. 17 at 11 p.m., police say a 45-year-old man exited a taxi and was walking on a side street on the 700 block of S 4th Street when he was approached by two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun. The suspects allegedly stole an iPhone, credit cards and $15 in cash. They then fled in a green or gray Toyota Camry and fled the scene.
"It was dramatic and happened very quickly," the victim -- who asked not to be identified -- of the S. 4th Street attack said.
On Oct. 19 at 8:10 a.m., police say a 35-year-old woman was walking on the 700 block of Passyunk Avenue when she was approached by two men, one of whom was armed. The suspects then allegedly took her purse and a cell phone before fleeing east on Fitzwater Street before jumping into the same Toyota Camry from the previous robbery and fleeing the scene.
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One suspect is described as a thin male, between the ages of 25 and 30, with close-cropped hair, wearing dark-colored jeans and a black jacket.
The second suspect is described being between 18 to 20 years old, standing between 5-foot-7-inches to 5-foot-10-inches tall. During the Oct. 17 and 19 robberies, police say he wore a gray hooded sweatshirt. During the Oct. 22 robbery, police say he wore a black bomber jacket, grey pants and a dark-colored baseball cap.
A third suspect is described as a medium-built man between the ages of 18 to 20 years old, standing 6-feet tall. Police say he wore a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and dark pants during the Oct. 19 and Oct. 22 robberies.
Police have not yet released a description of the fourth suspect, who they believe to be a woman.
People in the neighborhood are being asked to stay extra vigilant to make sure they don't become the next victim.
If you have any information on the robberies, please contact Philadelphia Police.
