Business robberies, street shootings, chasings, carjackings, murders and even an episode of torture. A little resume of what happened in Philadelphia so far in February.
El Sol Latino compiled some of the cases occurred in the City of Brotherly Love in the second month of 2022… and a day before.
On January 31, a 41-year-old man was driving through the 1800 block of Germantown Avenue in a Kia Sorento previously reported as stolen in New Jersey. When the police noticed the issue and tried to stop the car, the driver fled and a pursuit began.
Subsequently, the suspect collided with another vehicle from behind, took the female driver out of it and undertook another flight until he collided again with two cars. Finally, the authorities caught the guy.
But that wasn’t the only case of carjacking. As of January 21, there were 100 carjackings (including failed attempts) in Philadelphia, according to Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. One of them ended in the worst way.
It happened on the night of February 6 in the 2100 block of Afton Street. George Briscella, 60, got three shots while getting into his car outside his mother’s home. The suspect fled in the vehicle after shooting Briscella in the abdomen. A day earlier, four men intercepted a woman in the 300 block of Chestnut Street. They took her off-road Land Rover.
Other crimes
Car thefts have given a lot to talk about. But those have not been the only crimes in Philadelphia during the second month of 2022. Not even close.
A female employee of a convenience store shot back two men who wanted to rob the place in the early hours of February 2. It happened at 5500 block of Torresdale Avenue, Wissinoming. The 32-year-old woman received at least two shots in the hip and groin area by one of the thieves during the scene.
Days later, a group of armed trespassers robbed and kidnappped a Holmesburg family. It occurred over the weekend of February 5-6 in the 4600 block of Decatur Street. The burglars tortured a member of the family, according to the police.
At midnight on February 8, an unidentified young male was shot multiple times at the intersection of Broad and Walnut streets in Center City.
Homicides are on the rise in Philadelphia. As of February 8, at 11:59 p.m., 53 people were killed, according to the Philly Police Crime Maps Stats.
For these reasons, one of the initiatives promoted by the City of Philadelphia is the Group Violence Intervention, a program aimed at reducing armed violence in neighborhood groups.