Business owner closing stores after Boost Mobile robbed 3 days in a row in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Boost Mobile on Ogontz Avenue in Philadelphia's West Oak Lane neighborhood is open, but the doors remain locked until customers approach the store.

The owner said it's the latest security measure since the location was targeted three days in a row.

"On the (September) 13th, we had a robber who came into the store and there was an employee working over here," said Owner Ankit Tiwari. "He showed the knife and walked away with some cash."

The same situation happened the next evening. So, Tiwari was prepared for the third day.

He asked Philadelphia police to come to the area, but no officers responded.

"I knew to save my store and my property and my employees, I had to take matters into my own hands," said Tiwari.

That's when Tiwari chased the suspect away with a bat as shown in the surveillance video.

"It took like 28 minutes for them to come to the area for the robbery call," said Tiwari. "So I went ahead and filed a police complaint."

Tiwari is not only worried about the slow police response time but also the future of his business and other businesses.

He said in September, seven of his stores were robbed with the latest happening this week during the looting.

He said he lost more than $25,000 this month alone and about $75,000 over the past six months.

The 6abc Neighborhood Safety Tracker shows there have been more than 5,300 robberies in the past 12 months, which is up 4% compared to the annual average over the last three years.

Tiwari said he had no other choice but to close two of his stores.

"I feel sad because the stores are like my babies," said Tiwari. "I have opened them. I bought them. I feel sad for the customers as well, but as a business owner also, I just can't keep taking losses like this all the time."

Action News reached out to Philadelphia police about the officers' response time.

They said the matter is under an internal affairs investigation and cannot comment.

As for the suspect, if you have any information about him, contact the Northwest Detective Division.

Also, the city's Department of Commerce office is encouraging business owners to contact them by calling 215-683-2100 or emailing business@phila.gov to learn more about the financial support programs.

RELATED: Check the 6abc Neighborhood Safety Tracker