Police in Philadelphia have identified a man who allegedly chased women through the streets while wearing a Chucky mask. Zymire Hughes, 22, is wanted in connection with an incident last Wednesday (August 19) at around 5:30am, when he allegedly pursued a 40-year-old female jogger during her morning run.
Footage released by authorities shows the masked individual running after the woman as she moved through a junction. Police say the suspect made “threatening comments” while keeping his hand concealed behind his back, causing his victim to “stumble and sustain injury”.
Chase caught on camera
The victim was captured on camera turning around in what appeared to be an attempt to evade the masked figure, but he swiftly altered direction to continue the chase. A second camera recorded the runner sprinting down a five-lane carriageway with the suspect following behind her.
He appeared unable to close the distance and changed his path while the woman remained just metres ahead. The suspect crossed several traffic lanes and moved to the pavement on the right side of the street as the runner kept jogging along the road. He had allegedly intimidated numerous people in the area, with police alleging he chuckled at his victims and questioned whether they are “ready to die”.
District attorney responds
“If Zymire Hughes was trying to scare people, make them run. Who's scared now. Who's running now?”, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a press conference on Thursday.
He added: “You think it's funny to scare people? Well, get ready to get scared by us because we got the handcuffs. We got the jail cell. We got the Philly jury that's going to tell you it's not funny at all. You think it's funny to make people run, get your sneaks? Because that's what Zymire Hughes is doing right now.”
Probation and second allegation
Krasner pointed out that Hughes is on probation for an unspecified crime in Montgomery County. A second victim alleged that the suspect appeared to be recording the terrifying encounters on his mobile phone. Jameka, who declined to share her surname, told WPVI that a man approached her with his phone in hand just moments after he had pursued another woman.
