The man accused of terrorizing and threatening people in downtown Philadelphia last week while wearing a creepy Chucky-style mask could be in the Los Angeles area, law enforcement officials said.
Zymire Hughes, 22, has deep work and personal ties to LA and may already be present in that area, FOX Los Angeles reported.
Surveillance video captured Hughes packing his bags and exiting his apartment complex this week, the news outlet reported. Authorities said he frequently travels back and forth to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, leading investigators to believe he could be in the region.
However, investigators have not determined his whereabouts. He is being sought by the Philadelphia Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Law enforcement agencies in Southern California and Nevada were monitoring transportation stations and following up on any reported sightings of Hughes.
Hughes was identified Thursday as the masked suspect who allegedly approached, chased and threatened several people in the early morning hours of Aug. 12 in Philadelphia while filming the strange encounters on a cellphone.
He was on probation and now faces felony and misdemeanor assault charges from last week’s incident.
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In one incident, Hughes allegedly asked a 40-year-old female jogger: “Are you ready to die?” while holding his hand behind his back, prompting her to flee. She sustained a leg injury that will require extensive treatment, police said.
“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.
“He’s a punk. I mean, that’s the bottom line. He’s a punk who scared a lot of people for no good reason, and we’re not going to tolerate it.”
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Investigators said they believe Hughes may have been trying to create social media content in an effort to monetize it.
“There wasn’t an attempt by himself to lay hands on anyone,” Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said Thursday.
“He didn’t brandish any weapon, although, in the case of the jogger, he did have his right arm behind his back, implying that he had a weapon. But at no point in time did he furnish a weapon.”
