EXCLUSIVE: Pizza Delivery Driver Allegedly Beaten, Robbed At Gunpoint By Group Of Teens For Cash, Nine Pizzas Speaks
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Attacked and robbed over and over again, the search is on for a gang of teenagers who assaulted a pizza delivery driver. The driver spoke exclusively with CBS3 on Thursday night as Philadelphia police continue their search.
Mohanad Elias is back at work after a terrifying delivery. Elias was robbed at gunpoint at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday on the 3900 block of Alfred Street in the Nicetown-Tioga section of Philly. He was delivering food for Bravo Pizza on Germantown Avenue when his dash camera rolled as seven teenagers surrounded his car.
One of the teenagers was armed with a silver handgun.
"I knew something was going to happen. I said, 'Take everything, just leave me alone.' Trying to be alive," Elias said. "They put the gun on my head. They hit me with the gun on my nose and my head. They took the money, they took the food. They tried to take the car, they couldn't take it. This is the first time it's happened to me."
The teens demanded his cash and nine pizzas and then tried to take his car, but Elias got away. The teens took about $200 from him.
"I thought they were going to put a bullet in my head," Elias said.
It's not the only issue drivers from Bravo Pizza have dealt with.
"It could be a little rough out here in Nicetown," delivery driver Ahmed Salem said.
Over the past three years while on deliveries, Salem has had his car stolen twice.
"They just jumped in and they just took the car," Salem said.
For Lotfi Bahaz, an order in October just a few blocks down on Germantown Avenue nearly cost him his life.
While Lotfi was handing off a pizza, he found himself in the middle of a drive-by shooting.
"The second car, he comes and shoots and tries to kill the guy and I got shot," Lotfi said.
Amazingly, Lotfi is OK and able to find a little humor in what could have been a tragedy.
"I'm the lucky one. I got hit only in the fat," Lotfi said. "The bullet went only in the fat. Like, thank God I got a lot of fat."
The armed teen is described as a black male between 14 and 17 years of age, wearing a black jacket, dark-colored pants and gray sneakers. He was carrying a silver semi-automatic firearm.
The six other suspects are described as black males between the ages of 14 and 17 and were also wearing dark-colored clothing.
If you have any information about this incident, contact police at 215-686-3353/3354.
