A 22-year-old man accused of terrorising people in central Philadelphia while wearing a Chucky-style Halloween mask has been arrested more than 2,000 miles away in Las Vegas.
Zymire Hughes was detained by the US Marshals Service at an apartment complex in Las Vegas on Tuesday and is being held at the Clark County Detention Center pending extradition to Pennsylvania.
‘Tonight, the fear that one man brought to the Philadelphia community comes to an end,’ Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Robert Clark said. ‘By hiding behind a Chucky-style Halloween mask, Hughes terrorised Philadelphia residents and believed he could evade law enforcement. He was wrong.’
Police allege Hughes approached and harassed around 15 or 16 people in central Philadelphia during the early hours of August 12, with some encounters apparently recorded on his phone. CCTV footage showed a man wearing a baby doll-style mask resembling Chucky, the murderous toy from the Child’s Play horror franchise, with a black face covering underneath.
The first reported encounter took place shortly after 5am, when the masked man allegedly threatened a man before continuing along Chestnut Street. Police said he later entered a Dunkin’ Donuts, where a worker refused to serve him because of his behaviour and the mask. Investigators said Hughes then returned to the street and continued approaching passers-by, including a man in a reflective vest near Dilworth Plaza.
He is also accused of chasing a 40-year-old woman who was jogging in the area of 1500 JFK Boulevard. According to police, the masked man approached her with one hand behind his back while holding a phone towards her and repeatedly asked: ‘Are you ready to die?’ The woman ran from him screaming for help but fell while trying to escape. Police said she suffered injuries to her leg, hamstring and spine and required extensive medical treatment.
Hughes is alleged to have subsequently entered Suburban Station, where two transport police officers ordered him to remove the doll mask. Investigators said he complied but retained the black covering underneath and managed to evade the officers.
Police later identified Hughes from surveillance footage and obtained a warrant accusing him of aggravated assault. He also faces allegations of terroristic threats, simple assault, reckless endangerment and possession of an instrument of crime.
Authorities said Hughes had been living in Las Vegas since February but was visiting relatives in Philadelphia when the alleged incidents occurred. Investigators said he left the area on August 19, flying from Trenton, New Jersey, to Orlando before travelling on to Las Vegas.
After his image appeared in news reports, authorities said Hughes initially returned to the home he shared with his girlfriend before moving to another apartment complex in southeast Las Vegas, where he allegedly stayed for about five days.
Members of the Nevada Violent Offender Task Force placed the complex under surveillance before arresting him at about 8pm. Clark said the arrest happened ‘without incident’. Officials said Hughes questioned why he was being handcuffed and attempted to slip out of the restraints before deputies subdued him. ‘He was not a happy man being brought into custody,’ Clark said.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner had previously urged any other potential victims to come forward, condemning behaviour intended to frighten or harass members of the public. ‘Regardless of his motive, his actions demonstrate that he is a punk and will not be tolerated,’ Krasner said. ‘He will be caught and held accountable for his crimes.’