September 18, 2010 Police, casino security work to nab carjacker-robbery suspects www.privateofficer.com
Chester PA Sept 18 2010 Senior citizens were the target of a pair of bandits Thursday who allegedly robbed three people, carjacking one of them, in two separate incidents.
In both instances, the senior citizens had crossed the bandits’ paths at a casino.
One of the men, identified as Jerome Watkins, 25, of the 500 block of West Seventh St. in Wilmington, has been linked to both incidents, and was nabbed by police in Chester, Pa., in a parking garage at Harrah’s Casino, New Castle County police spokesman Senior Cpl. Trinidad Navarro said.
The second suspect escaped.
Watkins is being held on charges of receiving stolen property in Pennsylvania and as a fugitive and is awaiting extradition to Delaware.
The first crime occurred about 3:20 p.m. in the parking lot of the Hunters Crossing Apartments in Newark, where Watkins and his accomplice robbed and carjacked a 74-year-old man.
The victim told investigators that he had been at Delaware Park Casino, where he met the two men, who struck up a conversation with him, walked him out to his car and then asked for a ride home, Navarro said.
One man offered to do the driving, and he drove the victim’s 2003 gold-colored Ford Windstar to the apartment complex.
At that point, one of the men brandished a screwdriver and stole the elderly man’s vehicle, Navarro said.
By the time police arrived, both the Windstar and the carjackers were gone.
About 6:45 p.m., the same men robbed a 67-year-old woman and an 84-year-old man in the 1500 block of Ridge Road in the Holly Oak section.
The senior citizens said that they had just returned home from Harrah’s Casino and were getting out of their car when they were accosted by two men in a gold-colored minivan.
The woman tried to run off and was tackled by one of the men, who pulled her purse from her hands, Navarro said.
The other man rifled through the elderly man’s pockets and took his wallet before driving off.
Detectives called the two casinos and asked that they be on the lookout for the gold minivan in case the suspects returned.
Security officials at Harrah’s spotted the stolen minivan in the parking garage and notified Chester police.
Officers then converged on the vehicle and captured Watkins after a brief chase.
Police are asking anyone with information on these incidents or suspect to call police at 395-8110 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.
Source:Delawareonline
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