Yesterday the DP reports that because of all the muggings on 40th, they're posting extra cops there. If Leroy Erwin had been reading the DP, he would have known not to mug someone on 40th ....
Thief arrested in 3rd robbery this week
By alanna kaufman
March 31, 2005
Penn Police arrested a 41-year old man in connection with the robbery of a female student at around 8 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of 40th and Spruce streets.
This is the third robbery this week to involve a Penn student and also the third to occur within the vicinity of 40th and Spruce.
Police are currently trying to determine whether Leroy Erwin, who is unaffiliated with the University, is linked to the other incidents, which occurred Saturday and Sunday at approximately 4:15 a.m. and 9:45 p.m. respectively.
No arrests have been made in either of those cases.
The victim reported that she was on the 4000 block of Spruce St. when Erwin approached her.
She said that he demanded her money, and when she replied that she did not have any, he punched her on the left side of her neck before running away.
She did not sustain major injuries.
Immediately after the incident, she located two Penn Police officers on the 200 block of S. 40th St. and provided them with a description of her attacker.
Accompanied by the student, the officers proceeded to survey the area and found Erwin -- who fit the student's description of the attacker -- running westbound on the 4000 block of Pine St.
The officers chased Erwin until they caught him at the intersection of 41st and Baltimore streets.
Erwin was then taken to the police station at 5500 Pine St., where he was charged with robbery, assault and attempted theft. The date of his preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Penn Police Captain Joe Fischer said the arrest can be attributed to the increased presence of police personnel in the 40th St. area.
Police adjusted deployment after the earlier robberies.
"There was a robbery but we caught the individual minutes after it," Fischer said. "You know why? Because our officers are out there. ... They were right there, she had no choice but to go up to them."
