The Philadelphia Police Department is looking for a young Black male who has assaulted people while wearing a “Chucky” Halloween mask.
Police released video and stills of the perpetrator on Tuesday, and described him as a Black male between 16 and 20 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a thin build, black hair and medium complexion. He was wearing a mask of the slasher movie franchise doll and carrying a black-and-blue plaid backpack.
The masked male chased a 40-year-old woman around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday before making threatening comments while holding his hand behind his back, police said. The woman injured herself while fleeing.
Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said at a press briefing that the suspect with his “distinctive Chucky doll Halloween-style face mask … was able to accost a good many people” during a 20-minute period Wednesday morning, according to ABC News.
One woman, Jameka, who did not provide her last name, told WPVI-TV that after she warned another woman to get away from the suspect, he tried to get into a coffee shop before going after her.
“I turned around, I started yelling at him, ’Don’t follow me’ and screaming at him. Then at that point, I put up my hands as if I was going to fight. I blocked my face, making sure my center line was protected. And then he also started to put his hands up, but I could tell that he’d never been in a fight before,” Jameka told WPVI-TV, adding that he ran away after she kicked him.
Another woman, Luanda Marinho, told KYW-TV that she and a friend encountered the suspect while preparing to go for a morning run.
“He starts asking, ’Do you guys want to race me? I bet I am faster than you. Want to race me?’ He asked a few times, but none of us acknowledged him. Very weird,” Ms. Marinho told KYW-TV.
Capt. Smith said that police believe at least six people were accosted by the masked male and that anyone who has “been victimized by this individual” should come forward, ABC News reported.
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