Police in Philadelphia are searching for a suspect accused of wearing a "Chucky doll, Halloween-style face mask" to chase or terrorize at least half a dozen people, asking one woman "Are you ready to die?"
The incident happened early the morning of Aug. 12 at about 5:30 a.m., Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said at a news conference on Aug. 17. The suspect was caught on security cameras in the area of Philadelphia City Hall running up to multiple people displaying "aggressive" behavior, Smith said. At least two were chased.
"It looks like he's attempting to scare or antagonize them," Smith said.
Smith said the suspect was able to "accost" at least half a dozen people, but only one, a 40-year-old woman who was out jogging that morning, has
come forward with a report to police. Video shared by the police department shows the woman being chased by a masked figure.
At one point, Smith said the suspect got in front of the woman. He was holding a cell phone in one hand and appeared to be recording, and had his other hand behind his back, Smith said. He asked the woman multiple times, "Are you ready to die?" Smith said.
"Clearly she's not ready to die, so she takes off," Smith said. "In the process, she injures her leg."
The woman was screaming for help the whole time, Smith said.
Investigators also saw video of the suspect chasing another person in a reflective safety vest, Smith said.
Smith said once caught, the suspect will face charges of making terroristic threats, harassment, simple assault, reckless endangerment and intimidation. Though a weapon wasn't visible on the footage, Smith said he could also be charged with a weapons offense.
Video of the suspect from inside a Dunkin' donut shop showed him removing the Chucky doll-like mask at one point. Though he was also wearing a black covering over his lower face, investigators were able to generate a description. The suspect is believed to be Black, between 16 and 20 years old, and about 5-foot-8 with a thin build, Smith said.
He appeared to be targeting both men and women, or whoever he came across, Smith said.
Because the suspect seemed to be filming on a phone, Smith said investigators are combing through social media sites to see if they can find footage or posts by him.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suspect in 'Chucky doll'-style mask accused of terrorizing people
