Two Frankford Men Commit Shotgun Robberies, Barricade Selves Inside Apartment

Two men barricaded themselves inside an apartment after attempting two armed robberies in Frankford early yesterday morning.

A woman, 52, reported that she was robbed at shotgun-point by two men while she walking on the 1300 block of Wakeling Street near Oxford Avenue around 5:45 a.m.

45 minutes on the same block, a man, 42, reported that two men attempted to rob him at shotgun-point. He fought back, causing the gun to discharge.

The shots hit the front door of a residence on the 1300 block of Wakeling that was then-unoccupied.

An off-duty officer heard the gunshots and saw two men running, one with shotgun-in-hand, into a building on the 4900 block of Saul Street.

Police determined that the suspects were barricaded in a second-floor apartment, and that there were two four-year-old children in the residence, as well.

The SWAT unit was called and the defendants were arrested with no injuries to the children. Investigators recovered the shotgun inside.

Maurice Edwards, 18, and Lenue Howard, 19, both of the 4900 block of Saul Street, are charged with robbery and related offenses.