Penn Police officers on Spruce Street on Sept. 22.
Credit: Anna VazhaeparambilAn escaped prisoner was apprehended on the 3400 block of Spruce Street around 11:00 a.m. on Nov. 28.
The Division of Public Safety wrote in the UPennAlert on their website that the suspect had fled from Philadelphia police officers while they were in the process of “effecting an arrest warrant." After receiving a report of the incident, Penn Police arrived on the scene and worked with the Philadelphia police to conduct a search for the suspect, who was “quickly apprehended on site” and is now back in police custody.
DPS sent the first UPennAlert about the escaped prisoner to the Penn community at around 10:58 a.m. The alert said that there was an increased police presence in the 3400 block of Spruce Street and advised recipients to avoid the area.
The suspect was described as a “Black male, dark complected, 5’11", medium build, approximately 22 years of age, wearing a gray knit hat, glasses, yellow and blue jacket, black pants, black sneakers with a silver tongue, wearing one handcuff.”
The original UPennAlert encouraged Penn community members to contact DPS if they believe they saw the described suspect and to not engage with the suspect.
DPS sent a follow-up UPennAlert informing the Penn community that the area was "all clear" and that the suspect was in custody at around 11:22 a.m. The message advised Penn community members that they could resume normal activity.
When asked for comment about the incident, DPS directed The Daily Pennsylvanian to their website for further information.
The most recent UPennAlert was on Nov. 24 and involved a robbery with a weapon on the 4000 block of Walnut Street, and Penn Police responded to the incident.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate