Philadelphia police are investigating a second armed robbery in Center City involving a suspect carrying what appeared to be an AR-15-style rifle, less than a week after a similar holdup blocks away.
The latest incident happened around 2:15 a.m. Friday on the 1500 block of Sansom Street. Police said a 23-year-old man and two friends were returning home when two masked men jumped out of a light gray or beige four-door sedan with tinted windows. One suspect was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and the second carried a black handgun.
The suspects stole two gold chains from the victim’s neck and demanded his silver diamond watch before fleeing west on Sansom Street, police said. No injuries were reported.
The robbery follows a similar incident around 3 a.m. the previous Sunday on the 1500 block of Locust Street, just one block south. In that case, investigators said masked men carrying what appeared to be an AR-15-style rifle robbed three people, taking cellphones, watches, car keys, wallets, driver’s licenses and cash before fleeing in a Honda.
Authorities have not determined whether the two robberies are connected. No arrests have been made in either case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).