4th suspect accused in SEPTA bus shooting arrested by U.S. Marshals in Virginia

U.S. Marshals said Tuesday they captured the fourth suspect accused in a shooting that hurt eight teenagers at a SEPTA bus stop in Philadelphia’s Burholme neighborhood.

Asir Boone, 17, was arrested at an apartment in Alexandria, Virginia, where he was apparently hiding with a woman who’s believed to have ties to Philadelphia. He was arrested without incident and taken to the Alexandria Police Department for processing, according to authorities.

Robert Clark, the Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force, said Boone took a bus to Virginia last week shortly after being named as a suspect.

“It was a thorough job, around-the-clock work,” Clark said. “Just grinding every tip, every lead out, and eventually, it led us down to Virginia, and it paid off this morning. So we actually sent marshals there from Philadelphia early in the a.m. to meet up with the marshals down in Alexandria. That’s how confident we were.”

Boone is being held on multiple charges, including attempted murder and firearms violations. Jermahd Carter, 19, and 18-year-olds Jamaal Tucker and Ahnile Buggs are already charged in the case.

Clark said these arrests could bring some closure to the eight victims.

“I hope this arrest brings some comfort to the student victims of this senseless crime,” Clark said. “No child should have to fear for their safety while receiving an education and I hope these arrests can subside that fear.”

All eight teenagers injured are listed in stable condition, including the teenager who was seriously hurt after being shot nine times in the torso, according to 6abc.

SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said the agency is “relieved” upon hearing the news of Boone’s arrest and is working to ensure riders are safe following a string of deadly shootings this month.

“These incidents are tragic, they’re horrible incidents,” Busch said. “Sometimes these incidents spill over from neighborhood disputes. Unfortunately, we have seen too many incidents lately where a verbal argument between individuals escalates and ends in a shooting. We’re doing everything we can to try to prevent those incidents, and then when they do occur, we work with our partners like we have here to find those responsible.”

The March 6 shooting came on the heels of a string of violence involving SEPTA buses.

On March 5, a man was fatally shot on a Route 79 bus in South Philadelphia. The day before, a teen was killed and four others were hurt during a bus stop shooting in Philadelphia’s Ogontz neighborhood. Sawee Kofa, 27, was fatally shot March 3 during an argument on a SEPTA bus in the Oxford Circle neighborhood.

Busch said SEPTA has been increasing patrols on bus routes and customers should expect to “see more SEPTA police around the system.”

“We’ve increased our police staffing by 25% over the last year and we expect to add at least another 40 officers to our department this year, so we’re increasing our security presence out on the system,” he said.

According to the Philadelphia Police Crime Map and Stats, 64 homicides have occurred in the city so far this year, a 32% percent drop from the previous year.