PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty in connection with three robberies at gunpoint in three consecutive days last year.
The spree began around 1 p.m. on Nov. 23, 2024, when police say Tyree Hatch, 48, robbed Exotic Convenience Store, in the 6700 block of Castor Avenue, pulling a gun and forcing an employee to give him $500 out of the cash register before fleeing in a black SUV.
The next day, around 9 p.m., police say Hatch did the same thing at Cloud Nine Smoke Shop, in the 2000 block of Cottman Avenue, but the store employee tried to disarm him. During the struggle, Hatch shot the man in the leg and fled with $400.
On the third day, when police say Hatch hit Castor Smoke and Vape Shop, in the 7100 block of Castor Avenue, officers were sent to the robbery still in progress. Hatch got away with $600 and a cellphone, but police were able to follow him to a house, where he barricaded himself inside.
When Hatch left the house and surrendered, police took him into custody and recovered evidence from all three robberies.
This week, Hatch entered a guilty plea on three counts of robbery, three counts of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. In January, he was charged by indictment with those offenses.
He is expected to be sentenced this November and will likely face more than two decades in prison.