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A man has been arrested and charged in connection with a series of vandalism incidents in Philadelphia earlier this week, police said.
Haneef Cooper, 39, was charged with four counts of damaging property as police investigate at least six other incidents of vandalism, Philadelphia Police Deputy Chief Frank Vanois said. He was reportedly indicted.
According to police, the 10 incidents occurred overnight between February 18th, February 19th, and February 20th.
Vanois said most of the vandalism involved stones and bricks being thrown through the windows of businesses and two churches.
Capture Hanif Cooper
Philadelphia police partnered with SEPTA police to investigate the vandalism incident. Detectives interviewed witnesses and viewed surveillance video.
Through this process, police were able to gather distinctive characteristics of the suspect, Vanoa said. I was then able to retrieve videos from nearby locations matching the description.
SEPTA officials spotted the suspect on surveillance video and arrested him Thursday around 8:30 p.m. Cooper was then taken to the Philadelphia Police Department, where he was charged in four separate cases.
Cooper is charged with vandalism at Mother Bethel AME Church, St. Peter the Apostle Church, Playa Bowls in the 200 block of South 11th Street, and the Science and History Institute in the 300 block of Chestnut Street. There is.
He is charged with criminal mischief, destruction of property and possession of criminal instruments, police said.
history of crime crime
Vanois said Cooper has a criminal history dating back to 2011.
Vanois said Cooper has been charged with breaking windows in a number of cases.
Back in 2011, Cooper was arrested for throwing a paint can through a window at City Hall.
He was then charged again with mischief on Spring Garden Street in 2013, and was arrested after vandalizing an entire kiosk in front of the Philadelphia Parking Authority office on Filbert Street.
Cooper was arrested in 2018 after assaulting a detective in 2016 and vandalizing property in 2017, according to investigators.
Mr. Vanois told reporters that he did not yet know Mr. Cooper’s motive for this vandalism.
two churches destroyed
The two churches affected are Mother Bethel AME Church in the 400 block of Sixth Avenue and St. Peter the Apostle Church in the 1000 block of North Fifth Avenue.
Father Michael Cunningham of St. Peter the Apostle Church said, “It’s hard to see, given the fact that it’s actually an oasis.” “It takes a skilled craftsman to fix something that is damaged. But by God, it can be repaired. It could be repaired, but the damage is extensive.
The stained glass windows of these historic churches were shattered, with damage estimated at $20,000.
“Oddly enough, the places he’s hurting are the same places that might give him what he needs, so there’s a kind of paradoxical relationship that’s unfolding.” Father Cunningham said.
some businesses were destroyed
A number of stores were also destroyed by Cooper, police said.
Vanois said windows at the store in the 1500 block of Spruce Street were smashed and a large planter on the sidewalk was knocked over and destroyed.
The six other incidents investigators are investigating include:
- 1000 block of Pine Street just after 6:30 a.m.
- Just before 8:30 a.m. in the 1100 block of Walnut Street.
- 1500 block of Spruce Street
- 500 block of South 9th Street
- 200 block of South Hicks Street
- 1500 block of Spruce Street
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