PHILADELPHIA (November 14, 2024) — District Attorney Larry Krasner and members of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Juvenile Court Unit announced on Thursday that Ameen Hurst (DOB 9/20/04) was sentenced for his role in four murders he committed between 2021 and 2022 as a juvenile, as well as for escaping the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center last year.
Hurst, a member of the now defunct Young Bag Chasers (YBC) street group, entered a non-negotiated guilty plea on November 1, 2024, to four counts of Third Degree Murder (F1), two counts of Attempted Murder (F2), two counts of Robbery (F1), Escape (F3), Conspiracy to Escape (F3), and numerous related firearm and other offenses.
Hurst’s violent spree began when he was 16 years old. He took his first victim, 20-year-old Dyewou Scruggs, as the man was walking to catch a bus to work on December 24, 2020 in the city’s Overbrook section. Less than a year later, Hurst opened fire on four young men—also in Overbrook—killing 24-year-old Naquan Smith and 17-year-old Tamir Brown. Two others were wounded in the attack.
Just one week following the second Overbrook attack, Hurst and his YBC associates received information that an alleged member of a rival group was set to be released from Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (CFCF). Upon arriving in a vehicle, Hurst and his co-conspirators fatally shot 20-year-old Rodney Hargrove outside of CFCF and then ran over his body with their car. Hargrove was not the target, however.
The defendant was later arrested in April 2021 and charged with the slayings and a string of robberies he committed with other co-conspirators in West Philadelphia. Two years later in May 2023, however, Hurst and another defendant awaiting trial escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center, sparking an intense citywide manhunt. As authorities continued their search for him, Hurst fled to New York City, rented a recording studio with his brother, and recorded music, before returning to Philadelphia. Hurst was arrested 10 days later by the U.S. Marshals Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force on the 6100 block of Washington Avenue in the city’s Cobbs Creek section.
“Ameen Hurst, who posed a grave danger to the public, can no longer harm our community thanks to the excellent work of the U.S. Marshals Service, Philadelphia Police Department, and Assistant District Attorneys Anthony Voci and Brett Zakeosian,” said DA Krasner. “It is hard to overstate the threat to public safety that this reckless and dangerous defendant posed to our city. But it’s also important to note that this swift investigation, apprehension, and prosecution is a reminder to anyone else who thinks they can act like a one-person crime wave that you will be caught and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Even in our darkest hour, I still recognize that God is the foundation of our family,” said Pastor John Hargrove III. “I want to thank the Philadelphia Police Department, the U.S. Marshals, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and everyone who had a hand in brining the defendant to justice. This is not something that just affects our family. Gun violence affects our whole city, our state, and our country. We should all be praying for each other.”
Hurst was sentenced on Thursday to 55 to 110 years of state incarceration by the Hon. Scott O’Keefe.
CONTACT:
Dustin Slaughter, [email protected]
The photographs below are provided by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office for use by the news media.
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.