NEWS INFORMATION FROM |
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THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED |
FOR IMMEDIATE USE |
WEEKEND ROBBERIES PROBED AS OTHER SUSPECTS ARE CHARGED IN ARRAY OF INCIDENTS DATING TO 2005Mayor Stephen R. Reed today said city police have arrested 6 suspects in connection with a range of violent and drug crimes dating back to 2005, and are also investigating a bank robbery and two separate muggings that occurred in the city over the weekend. The Mayor said city police have arrested two 17-year old juveniles in connection with the July 20, 2006 robbery/shooting of a 41-year old Kensington Street man that occurred just after 3 a.m. near Susquehanna and Harris Streets. Both suspects, one from the 2200 block of Penn Street and the other from the 1600 block of Regina Street, are now charged with multiple counts of Aggravated Assault, Robbery and Conspiracy in the attack. The victim was walking to his home when he was confronted by three men wearing masks. Though beaten by the suspects as they were robbing him, the victim attempted to flee down an alley when they shot at him with a shotgun, striking him in both legs and causing serious but non-life-threatening injury. The third suspect in the case remains at large and unidentified. The Mayor said city police have arrested a second man in connection with the early morning armed robbery of a couple on October 10, 2006, in which 27-year old Daniel Chacon has already been charged. Now under arrest is Chacon’s accomplice in the crime, 23-year old Alfredo Cruz, of New Cumberland. The couple were waiting for a bus near N. 6th and Kelker Streets when Chacon and Cruz pulled up in their vehicle, pointed a weapon at the couple, and demanded their money. Cruz now faces Robbery and Conspiracy charges in the crime. Reed said city police have arrested 27-year old Slaven Kalea, of the 3200 block of N. 3rd Street, on multiple firearms and other charges in connection with an October 23, 2006 shooting incident in the 2900 block of N. Front Street. Allegedly a Philadelphia Police Cadet, Kalea was traveling south on Front Street when he asked a female passenger if she had ever fired a gun. He then pulled a 9mm Luger from a side holster and pointed it up over the roof of his vehicle towards the river, firing two or more shots. A patrol officer at Front and Division Streets heard the shots and immediately gave chase to Kalea’s passing Volkswagen, pulling it over without incident further south on Front Street. Kalea said he had a permit for the weapon and was a cadet with the Philadelphia Police Department. Subsequent investigation revealed he did not have a permit for the gun and was driving under a suspended license. He was charged with single counts each of Carrying a Firearm without a License, Reckless Endangerment, Illegal Discharge of a Firearm and traffic law violations. Police have yet to receive confirmation that Kalea is a police cadet. 33-year old Andre M. Franklin, of the 1100 block of S. 17th Street, has been charged with drug and firearms violations as a result of his arrest at his home just after Noon on October 27. Franklin had been under investigation by city vice officers for drug trafficking and a search warrant executed on his premises found 34 grams of cocaine, marijuana, scales and other drug packaging material and .40 cal. Glock. Franklin now faces multiple counts of Possession with Intent to Deliver and other drug and weapon charges, as does his paramour 24-year old Ericka M. Baltimore, of the 300 block of Hamilton Street, who assisted Franklin in his criminal enterprise. Franklin is on parole for a previous drug sales conviction. Reed said city police are also investigating three separate robbery incidents over the weekend, including the stick-up of the PNC Bank branch office at the Kline Plaza on Saturday. Witnesses said a white male entered the bank around 2:50 p.m. on Saturday, October 28, 2006, and upon reaching a teller window motioned that he had a gun in his pocket and told the teller to give him the money. The teller complied and he fled the bank without incident. The suspect is described as a white male, 5’ 10” tall, 170-180 lbs, between 40 and 50 years of age, with blue eyes, and wearing gray khaki pants, stripped shirt and a jean jacket. Witnesses said the man tried to disguise his appearance by placing a white chunky substance, possibly mayonnaise, over his face leaving only his eyes exposed. He also had duct tape on his shoes. No gun was actually displayed. Police are also investigating two separate muggings that occurred over the weekend. In the first, a 21-year old Susquehanna Township man was walking near Mulberry and Crescent Streets around 2:20 a.m. on Saturday, October 28, when he was accosted by two black males who demanded his valuables. The suspects struck the victim several times with their fists and took a small amount of cash out of his pockets. The suspects are described as 6’ 2” tall, medium build with an Afro hairstyle and grey sweatshirt, and 5’10” tall, wearing a black sweatshirt. No weapon was displayed during the robbery, but the the victim did sustain minor facial and mouth injuries. Police are also investigating a mugging that occurred in the 100 block of South Street around 7:30 p.m. early on Sunday evening, October 29, when a 21-year old city woman had her purse stolen by two black males who demanded money at gunpoint. The victim, accompanied by two friends, said she had none and the suspects grabbed her purse. A male accomplice of the victim attempted to retrieve it when he was struck in the head with the gun by one of the suspects. The suspect with the weapon is described as thin black male, 5’8” tall, wearing all black and a gray hooded sweatshirt. No description was provided of the other suspect. The purse-snatching victim was uninjured and her friend required no medical treatment. Police are unsure if the two muggings are related, but the suspect descriptions in both incidents have some similarities. |
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