Knife-wielding man robs woman near Inn at Penn

U. Police hope that surveillance video will help them catch the perpetrator in Sunday's incident. A woman who works in the Sansom Common hotel and retail complex was robbed at knifepoint outside the Inn at Penn Sunday night, according to University Police Chief Maureen Rush. The victim was walking on the 3600 block of Sansom Street at around 10:15 p.m. when she was confronted by the assailant, who pulled out a knife and demanded that she hand over her pocketbook. The value of the items taken was unknown. The employee was not hurt during the incident. After taking the victim's pocketbook, the suspect fled west on Sansom Street. He was described by the victim as a black male, 5'9", weighing approximately 190 pounds with a scraggly beard, according to police. He was wearing blue jeans and a blue T-shirt at the time of the robbery. Rush said she was optimistic that the robber would be caught because of the "good description" provided by the victim, coupled with the fact that the robbery occurred in close proximity to one of the Division of Public Safety's new closed-circuit television cameras. Though the newly installed cameras can view one block in every direction, the incident itself was out of range. Rush said, however, that the suspect may have passed by the camera positioned at the northwest corner of 36th and Walnut streets. After the incident, the victim was taken to the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives Bureau at 55th and Pine streets for questioning. According to Rush, the victim felt confident she could identify the suspect if she saw him again. Rush refused to comment on exactly how the camera evidence would be used but she said the footage will serve as an invaluable tool in the investigation. "We're optimistic," Rush said. "Having a camera in that vicinity? we have very good odds. We certainly have better odds than if we had no camera in the area." The camera system was installed in July. This marks the first investigative use of the surveillance system. "This will be a perfect example of how these tools will be used," Rush said, explaining that University Police and Security Services -- the department within Public Safety responsible for security technology, including the camera system -- will work on the case in partnership. Inn at Penn General Manager Dave Newhart said he is not overly concerned about the robbery taking place just outside of the newly opened upscale hotel. He said crime is no more of a concern here in West Philadelphia than in Center City. But he acknowledged that the robbery has resulted in a "heightened awareness" for both guests and employees of the hotel. The increased nighttime foot traffic created by Sansom Common is somewhat of a double-edged sword, Rush said. While more people on the streets deters criminals, she added, the influx of people can also provide more opportunities for daring lawbreakers. But Rush said she believes that overall, the presence of the major retail complex has only helped to reduce crime. Sunday's incident is the second armed robbery near the heart of campus since the start of the school year. On September 12, a female University student was robbed at gunpoint by two men just steps from Locust Walk, between Van Pelt Library and the Castle. And days before that, five seniors were robbed near 40th and Chestnut streets by three men, one of whom was armed with what was believed to be a semi-automatic weapon. Like the September robbery near Locust Walk, Rush said Sunday's incident is something of "big concern" to University Police because of its close proximity to the heart of campus. But she said the community should remember that such crimes are unusual. "It's pretty brazen to do what he did," Rush said.

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