Daniel Jones, an 18-yearold Philadelphia resident, was arrested yesterday. Philadelphia Police officers yesterday arrested an 18-year-old man suspected in the off-campus robberies of five University students within four hours Monday night. Daniel Jones, who resides on Alden Street in Southwest Philadelphia, was arraigned yesterday with bail set at $75,000, according to University Police Detective Frank DeMeo and Philadelphia Police officials. Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush said city police stopped a grey-silver Toyota hatchback at approximately 4:30 a.m. yesterday at 52nd and Spruce streets, at which point they arrested Jones. University Police officials said they did not know why the Philadelphia Police officers had stopped Jones' car. Jones was charged with three of the five off-campus robberies, as well as two additional robberies of West Philadelphia taxicab drivers. And while those victims have already identified Jones, Rush said the other victims have not yet had the opportunity to identify the suspect, who is being held at the Philadelphia Police Department's 18th District headquarters at 55th and Pine streets. "We believe additional charges will be placed upon him after other victims get a chance to look at the photo spread," she said. In response to what Rush called a "one-man crime spree," University Police added uniformed and plainclothes officers to last night's regular police complement and many officers worked overtime hours. It appears that Jones allegedly robbed the evening's first victim at 42nd and Sansom streets, then wound his way to 40th and Spruce streets, robbing four more people shortly before midnight Monday. Police said the alleged suspect also robbed a student at 40th and Spruce streets at approximately 3:20 a.m. yesterday. In each robbery, the suspect simulated pointing a gun -- by showing a bulge in his jacket pocket -- at the victims and demanded money. No injuries were reported in any of the robberies. The first incident occurred near 42nd and Sansom streets, where a student reported that a man robbed him of his watch and $18 in cash. A short time later, a female West Philadelphia resident reported that a man, stating he had a gun, robbed her of $8 in cash. In the next reported incident -- which occurred on 41st Street between Locust and Spruce streets -- a male student walked away unharmed after the suspect said, "Give me your wallet or I'll shoot." The suspect then allegedly robbed two female students on Spruce Street between 40th and 41st streets at approximately 11:30 p.m., taking $19 total in cash. Less than four hours later, a male student reported that the suspect robbed him of $2 in front of Billybob's restaurant at 40th and Spruce streets. Victims described the suspect as a African American male between 5'6" and 5'11" wearing a black puffy jacket and dark jeans, Rush said. She added that the suspect was probably looking for money to purchase drugs and searched for more victims after only receiving a small amount of money from his earlier robberies. Jones was charged with two other robberies of West Philadelphia taxicab drivers, one at 57th and Chestnut streets and the other at 57th Street and Springfield Avenue. Jones' preliminary hearing should take place within three to nine days of the arraignment, Rush said. Two other students were robbed in incidents that police said were unrelated to Monday's mugging spree but possibly related to each other. In the first mugging -- which occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. Monday -- two African American men approached a male graduate student at 44th and Pine streets. One of the suspects held a gun to the student's back while the other took his wallet. The student described one suspect as 6'1", weighing 200 pounds and wearing a black coat and skullcap. The other was described as 6'3" and wearing a blue coat and dark skullcap and jeans. And at approximately 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, a female graduate student reported that a black man, wearing a green coat, red knit hat and black pants grabbed her near 43rd and Pine streets. She managed to pull free of the alleged suspect and ran east on Pine Street to a friend's house. The suspect chased her down Pine Street, before fleeing north on 42nd Street, Rush said. She explained that University Police and Philadelphia Police work together to deploy officers strategically by regularly examining crime statistics and modifying officers' deployment based on any possible trends.
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