UPDATE: Investigators say an arrest has been made in the beating of a 64-year-old Vietnam War veteran in Philaldephia. Authorities arrested and charged a 15-year-old with attempted murder. Investigators believe more arrests will come in this case…
BACKGROUND: Philadelphia Police are looking for suspects who allegedly assaulted a 64-year-old veteran. Investigators say the assault occurred around 6:12 p.m. on January 17. The victim was walking northbound on the 5000 block of North 5th Street when he was approached, from behind, by six males. The veteran has serious injuries to his head, face and hand. The men were last seen running from the scene, southbound on 5th street.
The suspects described are black and hispanic. If you have any information to help lead investigators to the suspects, please contact the Philaldephia Police: 215-686-3353/54
Investigators say flash mobs are on the rise and many of the suspects are using social media to coordinate their negative efforts. The National Retailer Federation polled retailers over the summer and all around the country. They say over three-quarters, 79%, of retailers report being a victim of a multiple offender crime and 10% of those incidents involve flash mobs over the last year.
The NRF complied a large document of information to help retailers understand how best to respond to these types of incidents.
In a recent incident last weekend, a flash mob hit a 7-11 in Silver Spring, Maryland. If you have any information on these alleged offenders, please contact Montgomery County Police – 301.279.8000.
Philadelphia Police need your help identifying two males who robbed the Belaggio Jewelry Store at gunpoint. In the video, the suspects can be seen forcing three store employees into the back office. Investigators say on November 4, around 4:50 p.m. the suspects removed trays of jewelry from the front counter and rear safe. The men were last seen fleeing the area of Cottman Avenue on foot before getting into a green Ford Contour with Pennsylvania tags.
Authorities say an off-duty officer followed the suspects for a short time before losing them. The getaway vehicle was parked in the rear lot of a nearby Sears store. According to a press release the suspect description is as follows:
Suspect #1: Black male, 40 years-of-age, 5′10 to 6′, reddish beard, close cut hair to bald, dark complexion wearing a dark suit with a leather jacket armed with a black handgun.
Suspect #2: Black male, late 35 to 40 years-of-age, 6′, close cut hair wearing a grey sweat suit, blue jeans, brown sun glasses with gold frames armed with a silver handgun.
Philadelphia Police need your help tracking down a murder suspect who allegedly committed a murder at the “Trax Food” store. Investigators say on May 26, 2011, two suspects entered the store at 2:50 a.m. demanding money from a cashier. One of the suspects beat the victim with his shotgun and the other suspect opened the cash register. Authorities say the victim was able to get away and the employee ran, the first suspect shot and killed the cashier.
Suspect description according to police: #1 Black male, early to early to mid 20’s, light mustache with possible goatee, 5′7″ to 5′10″, wearing a grey zipped up hooded sweatshirt, black baseball cap with “Armani” in white and other writing under it, black sneakers, grey “T” shirt, light mustache with possible goatee. #2 Black male, late teens to early 20’s, 5′7″ to 5′10″, black or blue hooded sweatshirt, with Nike symbol across chest, bark blue jeans, black sneakers with white soles, black face watch with a red or pink band on left wrist
If you have any information, please contact Homicide: 215-686-3334
Tsunamis… Earthquakes…. Hurricanes… Oil spills. It feels like major disasters are becoming a part of our everyday lives. It is important to help the victims of these tragic events, especially the recent Japan disaster, but the FBI warns that criminals are waiting to exploit these tragedies to line their own pockets. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina the DOJ created The National Center for Disaster Fraud to watch over and protect donors. With the help of 20 agents from the FBI, their role is to investigate, prosecute and deter fraud.
The FBI says criminals will try to extort money by sending e-mails, creating fake websites, going door-to-door for collections, sending out mailings and making telephone calls. According to FBI.GOV, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, including:
Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages because they may contain computer viruses.
Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as members of charitable organizations or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
It was a bizarre scene last week at a Bank of America in Miami, Florida. A bank teller walked into his place of employment with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his chest. He told the manager that suspects broke into his home, held him and his father hostage for hours and then attached a bomb device to his chest. The teller told authorities two suspects drove him to his bank while one suspect stayed back with his father.
The teller, who FBI agents identified as Diego Uscamayta, 25, was released late Friday after agents determined he was in fact a victim and not a part of the elaborate scheme. Over the weekend I spoke with Judy Orihuela, spokesperson with the FBI, over e-mail and she said the suspects were seen fleeing in a red Ford Mustang. That Mustang belonging to Uscamayta has since been located not far from the bank. What I find interesting is that a detailed description of the suspects has yet to be released, but authorities are currently following up on leads.
The spring semester had just come to a close, and the Memorial Day weekend was on the horizon for Kyleigh Sousa. The 21-year-old Arizona State University student was on her way to grab a bite to eat with a friend around 2 a.m. when her life changed forever. Tempe Police Sgt. Steve Carbajal said that Kyleigh was approached by a “brazen criminal” who was driving a silver Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger. He was described as being Hispanic and heavy-set.
After talking to Kyleigh, the suspect grabbed her purse and she became entangled. Kyleigh was dragged by the vehicle, hit her head, and died. Sgt. Carbajal added, “She didn’t have an opportunity to get away” and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Now that school is back in session at Arizona State, the manhunt continues to find her killer. Sgt. Carbajal told me this week that althought there have not been any public updates on the case, investigators are working every angle possible and hopefully the right lead will come in to put them on the killers track.
Gun wielding, wig wearing bandits could be responsible for three bank robberies in Atlanta, Georgia. Agents say since July 27, two black males wearing women’s wigs have hit Wachovia banks in close proximity. The suspects order workers and bank patrons to the floor and have fled the locations with an undisclosed amount of cash in a silver Lexus. Special Agent Stephen Emmett told me today that the vehicle was discovered last week at an undisclosed location in the Atlanta area and the car is being processed. “It’s never as fast as you see on CSI,” said Emmett, but his team is working diligently to uncover information that could lead to the suspects’ arrests.
Emmett also added that there are two other robberies in the area where the suspects were not wearing wigs, but the motive is the same. “Thankfully we do not see a lot of take over style bank robberies when they are prompting people to the floor and taking over customers.”
According to the FBI website, the robbers are described as follows:
John McCluskey (left), Tracey Province (middle), Daniel Renwick (right - caught)
Three dangerous convicted murderers escaped from a medium security prison on Friday in Arizona. An official who is affiliated with the facility, and who wishes not to be identified, told me the escapees made their exit around 9 p.m. by cutting a hole through a fence. Once out in the open, they allegedly hijacked an 18-wheeler and landed somewhere in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Investigators caught up with one of the suspects Sunday when an officer in Rifle, Colorado recognized the Chevrolet Blazer and attempted to pull it over. Authorities said the driver, Daniel Renwick, 36, was behind the wheel and allegedly shot at the officer. According to investigators, the officer rammed his vehicle and that’s when Renwick was apprehended, handcuffed and hauled away. Renwick could face additional charges in Colorado before his extradition back to Arizona.
The other two escapees are still on the run and could be anywhere. Authorities are asking the public for any information on the whereabouts of Tracy Province, 42, and John McCluskey, 45. Province was serving a life sentence for murder, and McCluskey was serving 15 years for attempted murder. Authorities believe they could be traveling with McCluskey’s fiancé, Casslyn Welch, 44, and they are armed and dangerous.
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
