Philadelphia Names Chucky-Mask Suspect; Marshals Join Hunt
Philadelphia Names Chucky-Mask Suspect; Marshals Join Hunt
The News
Philadelphia police on Thursday identified Zymire Hughes, 22, as the man they believe wore a Chucky-style doll mask and threatened people near City Hall last week.
Police say Hughes has fled Pennsylvania and that U.S. Marshals are now helping track him down.
Roughly six people were approached and frightened during a span of about 20 minutes early on Aug. 12, according to police. One of them, a female jogger, was chased and asked, "Are you ready to die?" police said. She injured her leg getting away.
Timeline
A masked man approaches roughly six people in the busy Center City area near 15th Street and City Hall, making what police called threatening comments and filming the encounters on a cellphone.
A female jogger is chased and asked if she is ready to die, police say. She injures her leg while fleeing.
Philadelphia police publicly identify the suspect as Zymire Hughes, 22, and say they believe he has left the state. U.S. Marshals join the search.
Reactions
Police said in a statement that Hughes has ties to California and Nevada, and urged anyone who sees him to call 911 immediately and not approach him.
In its statement, the department said "the masked suspect sought in the 8/12 assaults near 15th" had been identified, according to the New York Post.
The case drew attention well beyond Philadelphia because of the mask itself — a horror-movie prop worn during a pre-dawn string of encounters in one of the city's busiest downtown blocks.
What's Next
U.S. Marshals are assisting Philadelphia police in locating Hughes across state lines.
Police say that when he is apprehended, the charges will include terroristic threats, simple assault and reckless endangerment.
Two questions remain open: what police believe motivated the encounters, and whether any of the cellphone footage he allegedly recorded was posted online.
More
The encounters happened in public space at commuting hour, hitting joggers and early-morning pedestrians near City Hall. Police have not said Hughes has been located in California, Nevada or anywhere else — only that they believe he is no longer in Pennsylvania.
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