PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An 18-year-old has been arrested after he ordered a pizza as a guise to steal the delivery driver’s car, which had his girlfriend and three children inside, according to police.
A police spokesperson said Shaun Triplett was arrested blocks away from his North Philadelphia home. He faces numerous charges including kidnapping and aggravated assault. Investigators recovered a loaded weapon.
It started at about 10:50 p.m. Tuesday night in North Philadelphia, when police say the teen ordered a pizza to be delivered to a spot on Warnock Street. However, police said that was a setup.
The delivery driver was with his girlfriend and three kids, ages 8, 6 and 2. Once he got out of the minivan, investigators say Triplett, wearing all black clothing and a black ski mask, hopped in and drove off with the family still inside.
The woman in the car tried to fight back.
“She actually got into a physical struggle with this [18-year-old],” said Chief Inspector Scott Small. “She was trying to take the mask off of his face and she was actually punching this individual because he was taking the vehicle. That’s when, according to her, this [18-year-old] started threatening to kill her. She had to jump out of the vehicle.”
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Police say Triplett let the 8-year-old boy out of the minivan, then ditched the stolen car with the two other kids in the back seat.
He then jumped into a car with two other unidentified men. They abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot, but cops caught up with him. Police say that getaway car was also stolen a few months back.
All three children are now safe.
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