and Maureen Tkacik Nearly a week after a Penn employee was stabbed -- allegedly by a homeless man -- in front of the Wawa convenience store at 38th and Spruce streets, police have few clues about the identity of the attacker and University officials have no plans to upgrade their anti-panhandling program. A Wawa employee said yesterday that it is difficult to prevent homeless people from loitering in store's rear booths facing 38th Street because "they slip in when it's really busy." Regardless, more University and Philadelphia police officers have been frequenting the store since the incident last Friday morning. University Police Det. Patricia Brennan, who is investigating the incident along with Philadelphia Police detectives, said the increase is simply due to the fact that police "want to catch the criminal." Although a surveillance camera inside the store recorded a very clear image of the suspect, police have not had an easy time finding him. Police said the suspect walked south on 38th Street after the incident. Witnesses described him as a 5'9" black man with a small build and a thin mustache who wore a long beige jacket. The man allegedly stabbed University maintenance worker Broderick Barnville, 31, in the arm. Barnville was released Saturday from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after undergoing surgery to repair a major artery. According to witnesses, Barnville -- who many said was visiting his girlfriend, a Wawa employee -- saw the suspect try to steal a pack of cigarettes and instructed him to leave the store, escorting him out the door to the front of the building. The man then allegedly stabbed Barnville. One witness who was in the seating area of Wawa during the stabbing said Barnville had "taken swings" at the suspect before being stabbed. Office of Community Relations Director Glenn Bryan said the stabbing was "an isolated incident and involved criminal activity," and would not have a major effect on the University's efforts to deter panhandling. Bryan stressed that the University already has a "very effective" program in place to combat panhandling known as "Don't Give Change, Help Penn Make Change." The program encourages donors to give their money or volunteer hours to participating service providers, or use their money to buy food for panhandlers. The program's hallmark is the collection bins and information brochures in various stores around campus. Among the participating stores are the Wawas at 38th and Spruce and 36th and Chestnut streets; the Le Bus restaurant at 34th and Sansom streets; the 7-Eleven convenience store at 38th and Chestnut streets; and My Favorite Muffin on 40th Street. The program contributes the money it receives from the collection bins to human service agencies such as Horizon House, the University City Coalition, the Philadelphia Coalition Against Homelessness and ACCESS Philadelphia. University officials hope to expand the program to many new stores, especially the ones coming to campus as part of the Sansom Common complex under construction on the 3600 block of Walnut Street. Division of Facilities Services Hard Surfaces Superintendent Mike Ferraiolo, who supervises Barnville, said the department's policy toward the homeless is to contact University Police if there is a problem, adding that the department teaches its employees not to disturb homeless people or their belongings.
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