November 13, 2023
Provided Image/Philadelphia Police Department
A man and woman have been arrested in connection with a string of armed robberies, including at two nail salons, that took place throughout Philadelphia in August and September. Above, one of the nail salons being robbed.
A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with a string of armed robberies that took place in August and September at various locations around Philadelphia, including two nail salons.
Maurice Allen and Christina Kolenda, who are a couple, will be charged with five counts each of robbery, conspiracy, aggravated assault and possession of an instrument of crime, among other charges, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced Monday.
Authorities said the pair began their crime spree Aug. 11 on the 1900 block of Bainbridge Street in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, where they robbed a pedestrian. On Aug. 21, they robbed the C&C Creamery ice cream stand on Ridge Avenue in Roxborough, and one week later the couple held up a Dunkin' on Rising Sun Avenue in North Philly, the D.A.'s Office said.
On Sept. 23, Allen and Kolenda allegedly robbed two Philly nail salons. They first went to North Philly's Happy Family Nail Salon and Spa, where they held employees at gunpoint and collected wallets, IDs and cash, according to police. Next, they robbed Fishtown's Nails in the City and shot a 43-year-old employee who pursued them, officials said. The woman remains on crutches.
Thousands of dollars were stolen in the robberies. During most of the incidents, authorities said Kolenda and Allen were "dressed head-to-toe in traditional Muslim garments." Security footage from one of the nail salon robberies appeared to show each perpetrator wearing a ski mask and a chador, or cloth comprising a head covering and shawl typically worn by Muslim women.
Using surveillance footage from the crime scenes, investigators identified a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe as a suspect vehicle. The license plate was traced to Kolenda, who was arrested and taken into custody. An analysis of Kolenda's phone linked her to her partner, Allen, who was then arrested. Officials said both suspects were in the vicinity of the scenes when the robberies were committed, and investigators determined that Kolenda was the getaway driver in the robberies.
In a search of the couple's residence, police confiscated a black Glock 23 with .40 caliber rounds that matched cartridge casings found at the scene of the nail salon shooting. Traditional Muslim garments also were discovered, according to authorities.
“I applaud the painstaking investigatory work accomplished by the Philadelphia Police Department and our partners on the Gun Violence Task Force,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement. “These defendants will be prosecuted vigorously by the very capable Assistant District Attorney Fernanda Sandoval of the GVTF.”
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