Philadelphia police

Teens Rape Woman at Gunpoint in Port Richmond: Police

Two teens are in custody after Philadelphia police say they forced a young woman into a gravel lot late Thursday night at gunpoint, then robbed and raped her in a crime so violent her screams could be heard by neighbors nearby.

The woman was walking home from the gym around 11 p.m. when the teenage boys approached her along the 3900 block of Richmond Avenue, not far from Castor Avenue, and one pulled out a gun, investigators said.

The pair then sexually assaulted the woman behind a factory and stole some of her belongings, authorities said. Someone in the area heard the woman's cries and called police.

"This was a very violent crime, a very heinous crime," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Responding officers took her descriptions of the suspects and apprehended two teens a few blocks away.

One suspect was found on the 3700 block of Richmond Street, the other on the 2300 block of East Butler Street, Small said. Both were positively identified and had cash and other items belonging to the woman, he said.

The woman did not have any injuries that required hospitalizion, said Small, who recalled the message the suspects gave before fleeing the scene.

"If she called the police or told anyone including her family, they would find and kill her and also her family," Small said. "You can imagine she was frightened when she was reporting this information to the Philadelphia Police officers who responded."

Police have not recovered the gun used in the crime. Authorities plan to review surveillance video from nearby businesses' security cameras as part of their investigation.

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