PHILADELPHIA — A man accused of chasing and terrorizing people while wearing a Chucky-style mask in Philadelphia was arrested Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
Zymire Hughes, 22, of Philadelphia, harassed more than a dozen people on the morning of August 12 in Center City, authorities said. His last victim was a jogger who he chased through the streets while pretending he had a weapon and saying, "Are you ready to die?"
The woman stumbled and severely injured her leg before Hughes fled into Suburban Station and later took a bus back home, officials said.
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Hughes was identified as the masked suspect last week. A fugitive task force of the U.S. Marshals Service arrested him Tuesday evening in Las Vegas — a city he reportedly frequents.
He's detained at a county jail in Vegas as he awaits extradition to Pennsylvania, officials said.
On Aug. 12, Hughes took an early-morning bus to Center City. From about 4:30-5:30 a.m., surveillance footage shows him wearing the mask and harassing about 15 people in the City Hall area, authorities said.
During a news conference last week, officials said his motive remained unknown. But officials believe it may have been a social media stunt.
He never laid his hands on anyone or displayed a weapon, to investigators' knowledge.
Days after police shared footage in an effort to identify the masked suspect, Hughes fled Philadelphia, said District Attorney Larry Krasner.
"If Zymire Hughes was trying to scare people and make them run, who's scared now?" Krasner said on Thursday. "Who's running now?"
As of that time, only the injured jogger had contacted law enforcement. He will be charged with felonies and misdemeanors, including assault for the jogger's injuries, Krasner said.
Krasner encouraged other victims to contact law enforcement so they can fully investigate each incident and file more charges.
Anyone with information can call the Philadelphia Police Department's Central Detective Division at 215-686-3093 or 215-686-3094.
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