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Surveillance footage captured the brief window of time when a masked man wearing a creepy Chucky-style Halloween mask terrorized multiple people in downtown Philadelphia. Two police officers followed him before he evaded authorities, officials said Thursday.
Zymire Hughes, 22, is being sought by the Philadelphia Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service after an arrest warrant related to the Aug. 12 incident was issued.
“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 during a news conference Thursday afternoon.
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On Thursday, authorities released surveillance footage showing Hughes leaving his apartment before heading downtown by bus.
Once in the downtown area, Hughes donned his mask around 5:30 a.m. and began antagonizing people while filming his actions with a cell phone, police said. He allegedly threatened and assaulted a jogger near City Hall before chasing her.
The first person confronted by Hughes appeared to be terrified.
“The victim is absolutely terrified of Mr. Hughes,” Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said. “He crouches down with his hands up in a pleading motion. We don’t know exactly what was said… but it’s readily apparent that this individual is certainly in fear for their life. So then Mr. Hughes proceeds to make his way down Chestnut Street, harassing additional people.”
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The incident culminated when Hughes allegedly chased the jogger.
Holding up his phone, he allegedly asked: “Are you ready to die?” police said. The jogger injured her leg while fleeing and will require extensive medical treatment, Capt. Smith told reporters.
At one point, Hughes was spotted inside Suburban Station by two Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) police officers in a golf cart and others on foot. The officers told him to remove the mask, Smith said, while showing footage of the interaction.
Hughes removed the mask but attempted to conceal his identity.
“Underneath that Chucky-style Halloween mask, he’s got a black, COVID-style mask, which he never removes,” Smith said. “Before they spot him, he is running around attempting to engage other people and scare them down in Suburban Station as well.”
The officers followed Hughes, but he eventually evaded them and boarded a bus back home, police said.
He took the bus, placed the mask in a backpack, and arrived at his apartment complex, authorities said.
Surveillance footage captured at the complex shows Hughes leaving for downtown before his alleged rampage began. Investigators were able to obtain images of him in a common area without the mask.
SEPTA police officers were able to identify Hughes, along with two other people, police said.
Smith said he believes Hughes initiated the spree for “his own sick personal amusement” or to create monetized social media content.
Hughes remains at large but has ties to California and Nevada, police said.
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