Police: 2 Arrested For Couple Abducted, Robbed In West Philadelphia
By Natasha Brown
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Police have arrested and charged two people for the kidnapping and robbery of a couple in West Philadelphia.
Authorities have arrested a 25-year-old man, Damon Cornish, and a 23-year-old woman, Vashti Williams. Cornish is charged with theft and unauthorized use of an auto and Williams is charged with robbery, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and related offenses.
Police say the victims, 86-year-old Korean War veteran George Sauders and his girlfriend Prescilla Jones, became prey to three female suspects as they were walking in their West Philadelphia neighborhood Thursday morning.
"One of the passengers in the vehicle gets out with the driver, they go towards both of our victims, they take them, they push them into the car. At that point they drive them to 4th and Market to a TD Bank," said Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker.
Police say one of the suspects seen on bank surveillance video allegedly forced the elderly man inside where they set up a debit card in his name.
"They drove for about maybe two or three hours back and forth on Market Street until we got to 17th and the Parkway," he said.
From the bank, police say the suspects headed for a Hertz rental car agency where they allegedly rented a car in the man's name. From there the exhausting journey would take the elderly couple to a rental car business along Bartram Avenue, police say the suspects allegedly renting another car in the man's name.
"I'm thinking I must have been a fool because if something happens to these cars, they're going to blame me because it's all in my name," he said.
Police say the suspects dropped the couple off back in their neighborhood.
By Friday night, police say both cars had been recovered, one in North Jersey, the other in Philadelphia at Montgomery and Belmont Mansion Drive. CBS 3 Eyewitness News is told a man and female found in that car are currently being questioned by police.
CBS 3 Eyewitness News is told a female and two males found in the other rental car are currently being questioned in Cranbury, New Jersey.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected to made.
