Police Identify Suspect In Society Hill Attacks
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia police have named a suspect in connection with a series of violent robberies in the city's Society Hill section.
Police say the suspect's last known address was the big house. 39-year-old Willie Wyche was released in May after 20 years behind bars, and if authorities have their way, he'll be heading back very, very soon.
Investigators believe he's responsible for several brazen, day-light robberies of women in the Society Hill section. In each incident, he quietly sneaks up on a woman, chokes her until she passes out or falls down then walks off with her purse, discarding unwanted items along the way. (see related story)
"He's about 220 pounds and 6 feet in height. This is a very violent offender," Philadelphia Police Lt. Ray Evers said.
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According to court documents obtained by Eyewitness News, Wyche's violent criminal history dates back to the late 80's.
In 1991 he was convicted of Attempted Rape, Robbery, Assault and other charges.
"He was in jail for 21 years, just released this May. We know he has a very violent past and he's continuing that violence right now. So we need to put him back behind bars," said Evers.
Police say, surveillance video, along with information from one of the victims, ties Wyche directly to an attack on July 10th near 7th and Lombard Streets.
They believe Wyche also tried using one of his victim's credit cards at a convenience store on South Broad Street near Christian Street.
Fortunately no one has been killed, but police want to track down the suspect before he has a chance to strike again.
He's known to frequent the area near the 800 block of South Broad Street. If you have any information on his location, police say don't hesitate to call 911.
Reported by Mike Dougherty, KYW Newsradio, Todd Quinones, CBS 3
