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An anonymous tip led police to a man who has been pinned for six Queen Village heists within blocks of his home.
Following an alleged gunpoint robbery of a 33-year-old woman’s purse on the 700 block of South Fifth Street at 205 a.m. Sept. 1 (“Skull scraper,” Sept. 7), police received a tip Sept. 23 indicating Eric Johnson, 22, of the 400 block of Christian Street, as the robber in a series of 3rd District crimes, police said. The woman identified Johnson Sept. 24 as the man who robbed her and smacked her with his gun, causing facial fractures and lacerations.
A man and woman, both 64, also deemed Johnson as the man who said, “Give me your … wallet or I’ll blow your head off,” and swiped his wallet, containing $400, credit cards and ID, as well as $95 from his wife, at 11:30 p.m. Aug. 23 (“Agony of the street,” Aug. 30), also identified Johnson as their armed mugger Sept. 24, police said.
Police arrested Johnson as he was standing in the doorway of his girlfriend’s home on the 900 block of South Fifth Street at 8 p.m. Sept. 24, according to police. His significant other permitted police to search her home where they discovered items taken in the Sept. 1 case, as well as a BB gun. After obtaining a search warrant for Johnson’s home, authorities recovered wallets without IDs, two bikes and a small laptop.
While at South Detective Division, 2301 S. 23rd St., Johnson allegedly waived his rights and admitted to the Aug. 23 and Sept. 1 robberies, in addition to a 12:30 a.m. Aug. 28 heist on the 500 block of Catharine Street (“Crime cycle,” Aug. 30) and a 1 a.m. Aug. 14 mugging on the 500 block of Fitzwater Street, police said.
The next day at 2:40 p.m., detectives interviewed Johnson again at which time he allegedly confessed to two more robberies — one at 2:50 p.m. Aug. 10 on the 700 block of East Passyunk Avenue (“Calculation interrupted,” Aug. 16) and the other one at 5 p.m. Aug. 10 on the 200 block of Carpenter Street, according to police.
Johnson, who was halfway through his four-year probation stemming from 2010 firearm violations, is being held on $1.75 million bail, according to police. He was charged with 11 counts of robbery, five counts of aggravated assault, multiple counts of firearm violations and related offenses, according to court records.
Contact Managing Editor Amanda L. Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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