A 15-year-old and his mother were sitting on the steps of their home early Monday when someone in a passing car opened fire, police said.
The incident happened around 1:45 a.m. on the 1200 block of South 16th Street, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detective Division.
The victims told police someone inside a dark blue four-door Chevy Celebrity pumped out several shots — one of which struck the teen in the right arm, the sergeant said.
The victim was taken to Graduate Hospital in stable condition, said Biello.
To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.
Daycare worker wounded
Police still have no suspects in the Oct. 8 shooting of a daycare employee who confronted two burglars.
Bernard Fowler, 24, was opening Lincoln Day Care Center at 19th and Ellsworth streets shortly before 7 a.m. when he encountered the duo, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detectives.
There were no children inside the facility at the time.
The intruders struggled with Fowler and fired three shots — one of which struck the worker in the left shoulder, the sergeant said.
The employee was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was treated and released.
The culprits fled through a third-floor rear door; investigators said alarm wires leading to the door had been sliced.
Nothing was taken, but police found computers stacked on the floor, and they also recovered two .40-caliber shells, Biello said
To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.
Homeowner fires back
A 24-year-old man survived a home invasion Friday night by shooting back at one of three armed intruders.
The harrowing ordeal occurred around 8:15 p.m. on the 1900 block of Jackson Street, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detectives.
Two of the offenders held the victim’s girlfriend, sister and another male friend at gunpoint on the first floor, the sergeant said. The third culprit climbed the stairs to the second floor, where he confronted the 24-year-old and fired one shot at him, Biello said.
The victim retreated to a bedroom, where he retrieved his own handgun and unloaded three shots at the perpetrator, said the sergeant.
After the bullets flew, all three culprits fled.
None of the occupants was injured, but bullets ripped through a hallway wall and back bedroom window, Biello said.
To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.
Police seek pervert
Police have released a sketch of a man they say exposed himself several times to a 15-year-old girl — over the period of a month — as she walked to school on the 1000 block of McKean Street.
The indecent assaults happened around 7:30 a.m., said Officer Sheila Smith of the Police Public Affairs Unit.
The male is described as Asian, 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-6, in his mid-30s and having a thin build.
To report information, call the Special Victims Unit at 215-685-1180/81.
Robbers use Mace as weapon
Detectives are investigating two back-to-back robberies in the Third District Monday night that they believe are connected. The modus operandi for each was the same: The culprit would blind his victims with Mace and then rob them, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detectives.
The first incident happened on the 1200 block of Carpenter Street around 10:30 p.m., the sergeant said. A 20-year-old man and his 22-year-old girlfriend were walking on the block when they were cornered by a male who sprayed them with Mace, then snatched the woman’s purse and the man’s wallet, Biello said. The offender made off with $90 and the victims’ ID.
The couple — who are from Pittstown, near Reading — were taken to Wills Eye Hospital, where they were treated and released, Biello said.
Minutes later, a mace-wielding bandit and an accomplice accosted a 32-year-old woman who was walking home on the 600 block of Alder Street, the sergeant said. One of the culprits sprayed the victim while the other swiped her handbag — containing credit cards, ID and a digital camera, Biello said.
To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.
Woman holds up bank
Maybe hoping to launch a new fall fashion trend, a woman sporting red pajama bottoms robbed Commerce Bank at 2653 S. Fifth St., police said. The aspiring fashion maven — who police say is in her mid-20s — escaped $1,000 richer, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detectives.
The robber entered the bank at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and approached a teller, said FBI spokesperson Linda Vizi. The woman started to say something to the teller and then stated she would return momentarily, Vizi added. When she did, she handed the teller a demand note that read, "Hand over $1,000 and nothing will happen to anyone," Biello said.
The culprit got into a vehicle — possibly a Pontiac Grand Prix — driven by a male, Vizi said. The duo headed north on Fifth Street.
To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.
