Yesterday, Michael J. Chitwood, Upper Darby's police superintendent, said the three were victims last week of "wolf pack" robberies - assaults by a number of attackers.
Over three days, Chitwood said, his department arrested nine juveniles he thinks are responsible for the crimes.
"They ain't kids. They're bums, and they're gangsters," Chitwood said.
Chitwood aimed his ire not only at the attackers, but also at the juvenile justice system.
When his officers called the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Facility in Lima on Friday, Chitwood said, they were told there was room for only two of the four suspects arrested that day.
"That's unacceptable," Chitwood said. "Make room."
One of the two that the Lima facility could not accept, a 14-year-old who was released to the custody of his parents, had kicked an Upper Darby officer in the groin, Chitwood said. The officer did not require medical treatment.
Ronald A. Berry, deputy director of juvenile detention, said that eight beds were available at the Lima facility that day and that he did not know where the breakdown occurred.
"Even if we were at full capacity, if the child meets the criteria to be detained, we still have to take them," Berry said, adding that the licensed capacity is 66 beds.
"We were told they only had room for two," Chitwood said. "We were told it was so crowded, women were [housed] in some of the men's security area."
Chitwood said his department increased patrols in the area, adding beat and undercover officers and bicycle patrols. He estimated that three days of surveillance resulted in at least 60 hours of overtime in the effort to capture the attackers.
The surveillance helped Singh. He suffered scrapes and bruises during the attempted robbery, which ended when he saw "a lot of cops coming over immediately."
The "wolf pack" attacks, Chitwood said, occur periodically. "The problem is, they are occurring more and more often," he said.
Smith is taking no chances. He says he is moving from Upper Darby after 17 years.
"I'm afraid to go out at night," said Smith, who works in the medical field and asked that his hours be changed so he can be home earlier. "This has changed my life. I am not free to come and go as I please."
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