Teen charged with subway gropings

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A 14-year-old from the 1800 block of Tasker Street was arrested Friday for multiple indecent assaults that allegedly occurred in the stairwells of two stops along the Broad Street Line.

The teen was charged with approaching four women from behind on separate occasions at the Tasker-Morris and Ellsworth-Federal stations, groping them and fleeing to street level, according to a Public Affairs press release.

He has been charged with aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, as well as four counts of recklessly endangering another person, indecent assault and simple assault.

The teen allegedly assaulted a 24-year-old 4 p.m. April 25 and a 39-year-old 12:30 p.m. May 26 on the stairs at the Morris Street entrance of the Tasker-Morris stop, and allegedly tried to put his hand inside the latter’s pants. He also is accused of assaulting a 26-year-old at 4:45 p.m. June 25 at the Federal Street entrance of the Ellsworth-Federal stop and of pulling down a 58-year-old’s pants and groping her at 2:50 p.m. July 8 by the Tasker Street entrance of the Tasker-Morris station. No injuries were reported.

A surveillance photo taken at the location of the latest incident was released July 9 and the perpetrator was described as a black male, mid- to late-teens, 6 foot with a thick build and a medium to dark complexion, according to the Special Victims Unit. With the help of neighborhood canvasing, SEPTA Police and the Special Victims Unit identified the teen.

Bullet to the stomach

A teen was hit several times by bullets coming from a moving car at about midnight Monday.

Sitting in the passenger’s seat of a relative’s vehicle on the 400 block of Moore Street, the 18-year-old was shot by an unknown person’s handgun at 11:57 p.m., resulting in a bullet to the stomach and two graze wounds to his right arm and another to his right thigh, Detective Danielle Tolliver of South Detective Division said.

The teen was transported to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital by private auto, Tolliver said.

The shooter fled north on Fifth Street in a mid-1990s, maroon Buick Park Avenue sedan.

Police recovered ballistic evidence at the scene and the car the victim was in was located on the 300 block of South Titan Street with bullet holes in its driver-side window and a shattered front passenger-side window.

To report information, call South Detectives at 215-685-1635.

It was no Picnic

A large crowd gathered for this year’s Greek Picnic on South Street Saturday night and 19 revelers in their teens to mid-20s did not make it home after the annual, week-long, college-reunion party.

Twelve people were charged with obstruction of the highway, disorderly conduct and other offenses that occurred between 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 a.m. Sunday; the remaining five were assaults on police that saw an inspector assisting in crowd control struck in the leg by a vehicle; a sergeant left with a laceration over his eye; and three officers with minor injuries.

South Street was cut off to traffic by the burgeoning crowd at about 11:30 p.m., Lt. Frank Vanore of the Police Public Affairs Unit said, adding the arrests had "absolutely nothing to do with the event." Vanore noted the problems have always been with neighborhood teens rather than the college-reunion crowd.

Arrested for attempted murder

Eleven days later, an arrest has been made in a July 5 shooting that occurred on the 1200 block of South 21st Street.

William James, 26, of the 1700 block of Reed Street, was charged with shooting at a 21- and 23-year-old, striking the younger in his lower abdomen and right side of his back at 2:05 a.m., Detective Danielle Tolliver of South Detective Division said. There were no injuries to the older man.

The wounded man was transported to Methodist Hospital by private auto before he was moved to Jefferson in critical condition.

Detectives interviewed the 21-year-old after he recovered from surgery July 7, but he did not remember the incident nor saw who shot him. However, detectives believe the men were jumped by a group of six to 10 males after a verbal altercation and soon escalated to gunshots.

James was arrested 5:15 p.m. July 9 on the 1400 block of Chadwick Street and charged with two counts attempted murder, aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy, firearm violations and related offenses.

Two wheels, two arrests

Police arrested two of four teens who allegedly beat a man then robbed him of his bike midnight Sunday.

The 27-year-old was riding his green Mongoose on the 1300 block of Fitzwater Street when he saw the quartet approaching from 13th, Detective Danielle Tolliver of South Detective Division said. One yelled out, "Hey old head, nice bike," but the man kept riding until one allegedly grabbed his hoody and knocked him off the bike, Tolliver said. The teens then began punching and kicking the man in the face before taking his wheels and fleeing south on 13th toward Fitzwater, Tolliver said.

The victim ran to 13th and Bainbridge streets, where he told two officers what had happened. The man, who had cuts and bruises on the right side of his face, refused medical treatment.

At about 1 a.m., police along South Street heard a radio call of the theft and saw a 17-year-old, from the Northeast, riding the bike westbound on the 1400 block of Catharine Street with a 16-year-old from the 1500 block of Catharine on the handlebars, Tolliver said. The teens were charged with criminal conspiracy, simple assault, robbery and related offenses.

Bank robbed

A man fled Citizens Bank in the Navy Yard with an undisclosed amount of cash in a late-morning robbery Friday.

At about 11:35 a.m., the man — described as black, in his late 20s to early 30s, 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9 with a medium build, dark complexion, full beard and wearing a light-colored or white baseball cap, sunglasses and a white T-shirt — gave the teller a demand note, grabbed the money and fled the bank at 4949 Broad St. on foot in an unknown direction.

To report information, call the FBI at 215-418-4000.

Man on a mission

A man hunted down his alleged attacker after he was robbed of his cash at gunpoint Sunday morning.

Darnell Coleman, 20, of the 2000 block of South 20th Street, pedaled up on his bike and asked the 31-year-old, who was walking on the 1900 block of McKean Street, for a cigarette at 6:26 a.m., Detective Danielle Tolliver of South Detective Division said. After handing over a smoke, the man looked up see a gun pointing at him, prompting him to turn over $40, Tolliver said.

When the perpetrator rode off, the victim gave chase and allegedly spotted his assailant unlocking a door to a home on the 2000 block of South 20th, Tolliver said. Eyeing each other, the man shut the door and took off on his bike, Tolliver said. The victim pursued the man he believed to be his mugger until losing sight of him at 20th Street and Snyder Avenue, so he called police. While canvassing the area with the cops, the victim spotted his alleged assailant at 20th and Ellsworth streets. Coleman was arrested there at about 6:40 a.m. and charged with aggravated assault, robbery, firearm violations and related charges.

Forty dollars was found on the man, although the gun was not, Tolliver said.

Come in

Philadelphia Peaceful Surrender is under way once again, allowing those wanted by the law to turn themselves in to police at churches such as True Gospel Tabernacle, 1606 Mifflin St., 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.

The faith-based initiative is designed to provide a safe and dignified alternative to those with outstanding criminal warrants for failing to appear at previously scheduled court hearings and to cooperate towards completing judicial proceedings.

For more information, call 215-334-3343 ext. 23.