Cops seeking fugitive in W. Philly

A teen wanted in a string of violent robberies is on the lam, police said.

Hasheem Singletary, 16, escaped from private contractors hired to haul him back to the city from Florida about 7 p.m., according to police.

Singletary, of Wallace Street near 39th in Mantua is considered a suspect in three gunpoint robberies: A home invasion Feb. 12 on Pine Street near 44th in West Philly; a second home invasion Feb. 15 on 31st Street near Hamilton in Powelton; and a holdup Feb. 16 on 41st Street near Spring Garden in Powelton, according to Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives.

Police secured a warrant for Singletary's arrest shortly after the robberies, and eventually tracked him to Tennessee, Walker said. Investigators caught up to him April 1, when he was arrested in Jacksonville, Fla., in a stolen car.

Workers with PTS Transportation, a prisoner-transport service, put Singletary on a Philly-bound plane from Florida early Wednesday, Walker said. After landing at Philadelphia International Airport, the workers drove Singletary to Southwest Detectives' headquarters at 55th Street near Pine in West Philly in a rental car.

But as the group neared their destination, the teen jumped out of the white Kia sedan while it was stopped at the intersection of 56th Street and Osage Avenue.

He darted into a nearby breezeway, and was last seen running in an unknown direction on Larchwood Avenue, Walker said. Police believe he's heading back to the area around his home, or possibly 46th Street near Market.

Singletary was wearing a black hoodie, black knee-length shorts with a stripe on the side, white socks and blue sneakers at the time of his escape, police said. His wrists were bound with handcuffs.

Walker urged anyone with information about the teen's whereabouts to contact police at 215-686-3183. He stressed that aiding Singletary could result in criminal charges.