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Police: Suspect Wanted In 14 Northeast Philadelphia Robberies

By Steve Tawa

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia Police are putting out the word about a series of armed robberies in the Northeast, with the same offender hitting a wide range of commercial businesses.

All told, police count 14 robberies dating back to mid-August through and including early Friday morning.

Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum says no injuries have been reported in any of the incidents, but in every case, the offender aggressively points a gun at workers and demands money. In most of them, he was sporting a blue bandana.

Northeast Philadelphia Robberies
(credit: Philadelphia Police Department)

"Yeah, from the nose down like a cowboy in a western would," Lt. Rosenbaum said.

But he changed up in the last three jobs.

"He went to a grim reaper robe, we're calling it," he said.

In one of them, when the employee wasn't fast enough, he racked the slide of the handgun and ordered the employee to hurry up.

They include five 7-Eleven locations, a Wawa, three pizza shops, two bars, a restaurant and two beer distributors.

He began in the upper Northeast in the Grant-Academy area, and he's worked his way down the Frankford Avenue corridor to the lower Northeast, Rosenbaum notes striking through Mayfair, Wissinoming, down to Bridesburg and over to Bustleton and Rhawnhurst.

Rosenbaum says his getaways are quick.

"We think he's using a vehicle, maybe parking a block away and jumping in the car," he said.

In two of the jobs, a second man was with the gunman.
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