Hunt continues for
serial armed robber

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

For the second time in four months, Philadelphia police detectives have released surveillance photos of a Northeast-based serial armed robber to the public in hope that someone will help them bring the suspect to justice.
Investigators attribute at least 16 commercial hold-ups to the gunman, including 14 since the first time they appealed for the public’s help in mid-January. Eight of the heists have occurred within the Northeast police division, with four in the East Division and four in Lower Bucks County.
"He’s up to sixteen now, and he’s getting pretty aggressive," said Capt. Jack McGinnis of Northeast Detectives at an April 30 news conference. "We think he’s going to wind up hurting somebody.
"He has threatened to kill people."
According to the detective commander, the suspect has been using two guns in his most recent robberies, including what appears to be a 9 mm semi-automatic along with a silver long-nosed revolver.
The suspect has yet to injure any victims physically, but he routinely binds them with plastic wire ties or duct tape while raiding the safes of targeted businesses. The crimes have been very profitable for the crook, authorities say. Typically, the suspect has gotten away with several hundred, if not thousands of dollars. In one case, the take was about $11,000.
"He’s getting a lot of money," McGinnis said.
"He makes the manager open the safe, so he’s getting big paydays."
Authorities have linked 16 cases to the same man by virtue of a common method and general description of him.
Typically, McGinnis said, the robber enters a store alone, waits for any patrons to leave, rounds up employees in the office or a private storage area, binds their hands and demands the contents of the safe. He generally loads the cash into a black duffel bag.
Early in his spree, the suspect would enter stores as a normal customer just before closing time, then take up a hiding spot for a bit before announcing a robbery. But lately, his tactics have changed.
"Now, he goes right in and robs it. At the beginning, he’d go in and hide. Now, he’s very bold," McGinnis said.
Investigators theorize that the crook modified his approach after a patron in one store spotted him trying to hide and began asking questions. He fled empty handed.
Also, detectives have noted that the man now wears masks from the start, whereas during earlier heists he walked in with face exposed. A surveillance camera at the Dollar Tree, at 8045 Frankford Ave., filmed his uncovered face on Sunday, Jan. 6. The crime occurred at 6:05 p.m.
Police believe that the Dollar Tree was his second robbery. The first occurred on Dec. 14 at the Rite Aid, 8445 Frankford Ave., at 8:10 a.m.
Subsequent locations and dates include:
• Rite Aid, 7418 Oxford Ave., Jan. 25, 9:55 p.m.
• Rite Aid, 7941 Oxford Ave., Feb. 17, 7:45 p.m.
• Marie’s Hair Salon, 2569 Clearfield St., Feb. 22, 1:35 p.m.
• Auto Zone, 2524 Aramingo Ave., March 8, 7:30 p.m.
• El Greco’s Pizza, 1500 N. Second St., March 14, 10:36 p.m.
• Movie Spot, 3801 Aramingo Ave., March 19, 9:35 p.m.
• Auto Zone, 8966 Frankford Ave., April 10, 9:02 p.m.
• Wine and Spirits Shoppe, 3521 Cottman Ave., April 16, 8:57 p.m.
• Game Stop, 9861 Bustleton Ave., April 17, 8:55 p.m.
• Wine and Spirits Shoppe, 11685 Bustleton Ave., April 24, 9 p.m.
Philadelphia police have less information about the suburban robberies, McGinnis said. They occurred at a Dollar Tree in Bristol Township, an Auto Zone in Bristol Township, a Wine and Spirits Shoppe in Penndel and a Subway sandwich shop in Feasterville.
"He never goes back to the same store twice, but he likes to go to the same kinds of stores," McGinnis said.
The robberies have gotten more frequent with time.
"At the beginning of the pattern, he’d be three weeks between robberies. Now he’s down to less than a week," McGinnis said.
"He seems to be more desperate as he goes on."
Investigators suspect that the crook saw their prior public appeal in January and modified his tactics. That’s when he began to cover his face, often with a ski mask, and his hands. It’s also when he began targeting different areas of the city.
"He moved from the Northeast to the East," McGinnis said. "Now he’s back into the Northeast and the suburbs along the I-95 corridor."
Another distinguishing element about the crimes is the suspect’s tendency to force employees to bind each other with wire ties or duct tape. Also, he makes calls on a mobile telephone during every robbery, which leads authorities to believe he may have an outside accomplice.
Around the time of one of the robberies, witnesses reported seeing a black, two-door Mercedes coupe parked suspiciously at the rear of the targeted store. Police aren’t sure if it was connected to the crime.
Victims have repeatedly described the suspect as an Hispanic man because of his spoken accent. In one case, the robber told victims of his Hispanic background. Those who have seen his face have described his skin as white.
He is 20 to 30 years old, 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall and thin. He has green eyes.
He wears a variety of clothing. In at least one case, he wore a distinctive black designer-brand hoodie with a snake-like pattern on the front.
The Citizens Crime Commission has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. Call 215-546-TIPS to be eligible for the reward.
To report information directly to police, call 215-686-TIPS. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com