Three more armed robberies occur near Penn campus

Two gunmen stole $180,000 from a Wells-Fargo armored car yesterday morning at the corner of 40th and Chestnut streets -- one of three armed robberies reported on or near campus since Sunday. According to a supervisor from the Philadelphia Police Department's 18th District, the gunmen disarmed the car's guards before fleeing with the money. No shots were fired in the 9:30 a.m. incident and no injuries were reported. The Federal Bureau of Investigations is looking into the robbery due to its sophistication and the large amount of cash stolen, the supervisor added. "Wells-Fargo is not a company that gets held up often," he said. "The FBI is trying to figure out what went wrong in this case." In another incident, a student returning home from Cavanaugh's Restaurant was robbed at gunpoint on the corner of 39th and Chestnut streets at approximately 1:56 a.m. early yesterday. University Police Sgt. Laurence Salotti said the gunman approached the student from behind, displayed his weapon and demanded the student throw down his wallet. The gunman then grabbed the wallet and fled the scene in an older-model, maroon-colored car. Salotti said the student was not injured in the robbery, adding that police have not yet made an arrest in the incident. The 7-11 convenience store on 38th and Chestnut streets was the site of the third armed robbery, which occurred Sunday afternoon. The 18th district supervisor explained that a lone gunman entered the store at approximately 4:08 p.m., pointed his gun at the attendant and demanded the contents of the cash registers. The gunman escaped with approximately $400 in cash and no injuries were reported. Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush described the new incidents as "unbelievable." "These are just very frisky robbers," she said.