Police have taken several suspects into custody in response to two incidents around campus this week.
Three individuals were charged Thursday morning with a series of armed robberies, including Monday’s incident that triggered a UPennAlert.
On Monday night, the victim reported a robbery near 40th and Spruce streets and described the alleged perpetrator as wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt. The UPennAlert was issued at 11:55 p.m., and the all-clear signal was given at 12:42 a.m. on Tuesday.
The three suspects allegedly committed five total robberies around the same time.
According to Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey, they were initially taken into custody early Tuesday morning for stealing a vehicle.
Dorsey added that the arrests were the result of “fantastic work by the investigators that responded to this.”
Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said Penn Police and the Philadelphia Police Department combined to make the arrests.
“This is a great example of the cooperation and respect between Penn Police and the Philly Police,” she said. “They worked hand-in-hand to bring this all together.”
The suspects’ names will most likely be released on Friday after their arraignment.
In an unrelated incident, three juveniles were arrested Wednesday night for stealing a bicycle outside of Rodin College House.
DPS captured the crime on camera through their Closed Circuit Television system.
Dorsey said, “At 10:20 p.m., [Public Safety] saw some suspicious activity around the bicycles. It appeared that individuals were in the process of stealing a bike.”
At 11:04 p.m., the culprits clipped a cable lock. Penn Police arrested all three of them and recovered the stolen bicycle.
They were arrested on the 3900 block of Walnut Street, the 3800 block of Walnut Street and 3901 Locust Walk.
The three suspects are West Philadelphia residents who are not affiliated with Penn.
Dorsey said this event reasserts the importance of CCTV as well as the CampusExpress Property Registration System.
“Registering not only bikes but [also] anything that has a serial number is extremely important for a smoother, quicker prosecution,” he said.
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