Man arrested in Las Vegas after wearing horror-movie mask during assaults in Philadelphia
Zymire Hughes was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals after a Philadelphia district attorney issued a warrant for alleged assaults involving a Chucky-style mask, which authorities say was intended to boost his social-media profile.
U.S. Marshals Service officers arrested Zymire Hughes in Las Vegas on Tuesday, following a Philadelphia district attorney’s warrant for felony and misdemeanor assault charges. The warrant stems from an incident last Wednesday in Center City, where a masked man chased a jogger, asked, “Do you want to die?” and caused her injuries as she fled.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said additional charges could be added after Hughes is formally charged. Hughes is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center, with a court hearing set for Thursday morning. Public defender offices in Nevada and Pennsylvania have not yet commented on his representation.
Police allege Hughes approached more than a dozen people in the city before fleeing, and later left a train station after transit police instructed him to remove his mask. Security-camera footage led investigators to an apartment where Hughes resides, and three witnesses identified him as the suspect.
The mask, described as resembling the killer doll from the “Child’s Play” horror franchise, is believed to have been used to attract attention to Hughes’s two TikTok accounts and an Instagram profile. Krasner said the suspect was on probation for a prior offense in Montgomery County and emphasized that such behavior will not be tolerated in Philadelphia.
“We’re not having it in this city,” Krasner said.
Authorities are asking anyone else who may have been targeted to come forward as the investigation continues.