Police said teenagers with a minivan were wreaking havoc in Fair Haven Heights — hitting pedestrians and robbing people — until Officer Vincent Foster spotted the vehicle across town.
Officer Foster and other cops caught the teens on Sunday morning. Their spree was among multiple robbery incidents investigated by police over the weekend.
Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Officer Joe Avery:
Between 8 and 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, three robberies and two assaults with motor vehicle happened in Fair Haven and Fair Haven Heights, apparently by the same people, traveling in a minivan. The robberies were at 314 Lexington Ave., the corner of Farren Avenue and Lancraft Street, and the corner of Lombard and Maltby streets. People were struck by the vehicle at 96 Front St. and 416 Forbes Ave.
When Officer Foster spotted the van on Lawncrest Road in Westville, a foot chase ensued. Several cops caught the suspects near Curtis Drive and Ray Road. Four juveniles were arrested on multiple charges. The van, it turned out, was an unreported stolen 1990 Dodge Caravan.
6 Robberies, 1 Arrest
Police were kept busy by other robberies and attempted robberies over the weekend.
Three men from the City of Brotherly Love took a wrong turn in the Elm City and ended up pistol whipped and robbed.
According to Avery:
Around 7 p.m. on Saturday, three men from Philadelphia were robbed at the corner of Edgewood Avenue and Brownell Street. They told police they had stopped the car after their GPS device had gotten them lost. Two men approached the car. One of them, with a gun, took cash and car keys from the driver, then struck him in the forehead with the gun. The other man took a cell phone and cash from the man in the passenger seat. Then the first man took a cell phone and cash from the man in the back seat and struck him in the chin with the gun. They did not steal the car. The driver went to the hospital with a small forehead injury.
At 12:33 a.m. on Saturday, a 43-year-old man fled from an attempted robbery at the corner of Howard Avenue and Spring Street.
At 6:16 p.m. a man robbed Ash’s Barbershop at 1076 Whalley Ave. He walked in with a gun and robbed two barbers and a woman for $600.
At 4:10 p.m. on Sunday a man walking near Rosette and Dewitt streets was robbed of $20 by a man with a gun. Officer Milton DeJesus canvased the area and caught the guy.
At 7:35 p.m. a man with a gun robbed Orchard Market at 738 Orchard St. He took $200 and a cell phone.
At 9:06 p.m., a man jumped the counter at College Convenience and Deli at 258 College St. He pushed the clerk and took cash from the register. He threatened to use a gun, but did not display one.
Craigslist Set-Up
At 5:55 p.m. on Sunday two men met at the corner of Blake and Young streets for the sale of a Blackberry, as they had arranged on Craigslist. The buyer told the seller he didn’t have proper change for the deal and the men agreed to walk to a corner store for change. On the way, another man jumped out of the bushes with a gun and robbed the seller of his phone. When the thief fled, the seller asked the buyer why he hadn’t been robbed. The buyer bolted, but was later identified because of the seller still had his phone number from their Craigslist negotiation.
Shot In The Hand
At 1:55 a.m. on Saturday, police heard gunfire while monitoring the closing of the Taurus Cafe at the corner of Winchester Avenue and Thompson Street. They found a victim in front of 94 Thompson St., suffering from a gunshot wound to the hand. He told police he had left the bar and approached the corner of Newhall and Thompson streets when an unknown man fired six rounds at him, then fled.
Crime Map
Click here for a list of major crimes for Jan. 21 – 23. Click on the image below to see those incidents placed on a citywide map.
NHPD
For block-by-block year-to-date crime information, plus daily crime maps, check out the Independent’s Crime Log.