Zymire Hughes, Philadelphia's 'masked man', arrested in Las Vegas after city-wide terror spree

A 22-year-old man accused of terrorising pedestrians near Philadelphia's City Hall while wearing a doll mask has been arrested in Las Vegas. Zymire Hughes faces charges including aggravated assault and terroristic threats.

'Masked man' who terrorised Philadelphia pedestrians caught in Las Vegas

Google News MT — Crime (en) reports that Zymire Hughes, 22, was taken into custody in Las Vegas on Tuesday, 25 August, after U.S. Marshals tracked him across three states following a widely reported mask-terror incident in Philadelphia's Center City.

Hughes is accused of spending roughly two and a half hours on 12 August stalking, chasing and threatening pedestrians near City Hall while wearing what Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith described as a "Chucky doll Halloween-style facemask." Surveillance footage captured him leaving his apartment on 23rd and Venango streets at approximately 2:20 a.m. and boarding the Route 33 bus to City Hall.

Investigators say Hughes approached his first victim around 5 a.m. near 10th and Chestnut streets — a man who was crouching down with his hands raised in a "pleading motion." Hughes then moved along the 1100, 1200 and 1300 blocks of Chestnut Street, attempting to harass roughly 15 additional people while filming his actions on a cellphone.

At 5:20 a.m. he entered a Dunkin' on 15th and Chestnut streets but was refused service because of the mask. Minutes later, at 5:28 a.m., he was recorded at 15th and Market streets in front of Dilworth Plaza chasing a man wearing a reflective vest.

The most serious incident occurred at 5:33 a.m. Hughes chased a woman who was jogging on the east side of 15th Street, positioned himself in her path while holding his phone and repeatedly asked her, "Are you ready to die?" The woman fled, screaming for help, and sustained injuries to her right hamstring and spine in the process.

Two SEPTA police officers spotted Hughes at Suburban Station shortly afterwards and ordered him to remove his mask. He pulled off the doll mask but was found to be wearing a black, COVID-style face covering underneath. He fled the officers, exited the station at 15th and JFK Boulevard and boarded the Route 33 bus around 6 a.m., returning to his apartment.

Flight to Las Vegas

According to Robert Clark of the U.S. Marshals Service, investigators established that Hughes had been visiting family in Philadelphia for several weeks prior to the incident. He left the city on 19 August, flying from Trenton-Mercer Airport in New Jersey to Orlando and then onward to Las Vegas, where he held a state driving licence as a resident since February and had a girlfriend.

After his face appeared in news coverage, Hughes relocated from his initial address to an apartment complex on the southeast side of Las Vegas and remained there for approximately five days. U.S. Marshals placed the complex under surveillance for several days before Hughes emerged from the building and was taken into custody.

Clark said Hughes questioned authorities about why he was being arrested and why he had been placed in handcuffs. He attempted to slip the restraints but was subdued by officers.

Hughes is currently held at the Clark County Detention Center pending extradition to Pennsylvania.

DA: 'You can't just say you're an influencer and commit crimes'

At a press conference on Wednesday, 26 August, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner addressed the case directly.

"You can't just say 'I'm an influencer' and commit crimes. You can't just terrify, terrorize people, terrorize a community because the reaction of someone who believes she might die at any second you find funny," Krasner said. "I don't think it's funny at all. I think it's awful and if you're dumb enough to record it and make videos of it so we can use them in court, well it's going to have an influence on the jury."

Krasner also addressed Hughes' flight from the city: "Running away is a real good way to get high bail and we intend to pursue very high bail in this case as a consequence of that flight."

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said Hughes is expected to face charges including aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault and related offences.

Prior criminal record

Philadelphia District Attorney Krasner confirmed that Hughes has a prior criminal record in the city. NBC10 reported that in August 2022, when Hughes was 18, he took a police sergeant's badge and threw it down a sewer grate. That incident resulted in charges of criminal mischief, theft and disorderly conduct.

Hughes was subsequently referred to a diversion programme for first-time, non-violent offenders that would have allowed him to avoid a conviction and jail time. He was removed from the programme, however, after getting into further trouble with the law just weeks before he was due to begin it, NBC10 was told.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)