Screwdriver mugger gets 8th victim

Another woman has allegedly been attacked by a man wielding a screwdriver, Penn safety officials say, bringing the total number of West Philadelphia screwdriver robberies to eight.

The woman reported that she was robbed Nov. 21 at around 10:15 p.m. on the 3700 block of Sansom Street, near 7-Eleven.

She is not affiliated with the University.

Officials from Penn's Division of Public Safety said that the description of the suspect in this case matches the description of a man who police believe has committed seven other robberies in West Philadelphia since Nov. 9.

Four of these robberies occurred in the vicinity of

campus after which DPS officials released an alert.

The alert, which came on the morning of Nov. 21, indicated that DPS and its detective units have increased their presence in order to curb the pattern of crime.

Officials are placing added security forces in the areas where robberies have occurred, specifically at 40th and Pine streets.

Police are advising that students take precautions when walking at night and that they and utilize campus escort services 898-WALK and 898-RIDE.

The suspect is reportedly a black male in his late 20s to early 30s with a dark to medium complexion. He is between 5-foot-4 and 5-8 and between 140 and 150 pounds. Victims reported that the man wears a black, thigh-length puffy jacket and drives a dark-colored four-door car, possibly a Buick or Oldsmobile.

One victim, who reported being robbed on Nov. 17 on the 4000 block of Pine Street, is a Penn student. Another, who was allegedly robbed Nov. 21 at around 6:40 a.m. on the 3900 block of Pine Street, is a University employee.

A female Penn junior also wrote in an e-mail - which has been widely distributed via Penn listservs - that she was approached by a robber with a screwdriver on Pine Street.

The student wrote that she screamed and ran from the scene, avoiding robbery.

Comments (6)

is it just me? has anyone else notice there are a lot of elderly penn police. they can't get this guy after 8 hits, maybe because they need help crossing the street themselves. how hard is someone going to chase someone down when they are counting down the days to retirement? i heard one of the new hires is 60 and collecting a city pension. what else is he doing here other than marking time until social security kicks in?

The average age of a penn police officer is 58 and most are retired philly cops. They do a good job but they are basically there to supplement their pension and send their kids to college. Most went to the police academy with Maureen Hip Replacement Rush, Chief E. Fudd, and Captain Losingmyhair.

How did this happen outside of the 7-Eleven? There are always at least 2 Penn policemen inside or outside of the store at all times.

i was concerned last night to see all of the security guards chilling in CVS. there were at least 15 in there. i understand they need a break and the cold weather is tough, but was curious as to why there were so many of them in there just hanging out

Most of the security guards are worthless. Put a sack of potatoes on the corner in a yellow vest and they'd do more for campus security.

In my experience, the majority of Penn security officers are African American, working class folks, whose jobs do put them in complicated positions. It is ironic that these security officers are mostly people of color and are paid to "protect" the mostly white, mostly not from Philly, mostly middle to upper class, highly educated students from the "locals" who are seen as violent and criminals. However, Penn doesn't try to make the whole community safer, just University City - a clear contradiction for many people who are enforcing the university's safety policy. This situation with the screwdriver robberies and sexual assaults is terrible and horrific, and I think it's important to remember that the security officers are people, mostly fathers, uncles and grandfathers, who are trying to take care of the students in this rich enclave surrounded by impoverished, underserved communities. Who is really at fault here? I think it is the system that supports students' safety and encroaches onto West and Southwest Philly, while not encouraging city-wide saftey measures or attempting to create a culture of safety for all Philadelphians. Is a more respectful perspective too much to ask?

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