Philadelphia Police Believe Carjackers Targeting 2 Types Of Toyotas But Don't Know Why
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Armed carjackings are on the rise in Philadelphia and police are picking up on a pattern. A recent carjacking turned deadly over the weekend when carjackers shot and killed a father of four.
Officers say in many cases these carjackers are targeting two types of Toyota SUVs, they're just not sure why.
Philadelphia police believe Sunday night's deadly carjacking in Rhawnhurst is the latest in a string of similar crimes in the city.
They say a group of two to four armed young Black men is targeting Toyota RAV4s and Toyota Highlanders.
"It's been taken in the same manner, the description of the offenders has been the same, it's in the same area, so it's obviously concerning," Southwest Detectives Capt. Matthew Gillespie said.
What's different about Sunday night's carjacking is the location.
Gillespie says most of the Toyotas that have been targeted lately were located on the lower end of the 12th Police District, in the southwest part of the city.
Of the nine armed carjackings in the district since mid-December, six have targeted RAV4s or Highlanders.
Detectives believe this is intentional. They just don't yet know why.
"I really don't, to be quite honest. I can't get into the mind of somebody that would want to put a gun to somebody's head and carjack them, but it's dangerous and we want to get them off the street as soon as possible," Gillespie said.
As Philadelphia deals with a rise in carjackings, Gillespie recommends everyone keep their guard up regardless of the kind of car they drive.
"Everybody should be aware of their surroundings. Everybody should be conscious that when they pull into their driveway or their parking spot, maybe don't sit in your car as long as you would. Don't play on your phone. Just get out of your car and go right home. If you can, reach out to a family member, have them maybe out on the steps as an extra set of eyes. And those are the things that we really recommend to avoid this stuff," Gillespie said.
In our research, we found even more examples of carjackers targeting RAV4s and Highlanders in other neighborhoods throughout the city.
Philadelphia police can't confirm whether all the cases are connected but they're working with other departments throughout the city to crack the case.
CBS3's Ross DiMattei reports.