Woman Pepper Sprayed During Robbery In Bensalem

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —A woman was pepper sprayed when a Philadelphia man snatched her purse at the Comfort Inn on Saturday night, police said.

Horace Clay, 44, of Philadelphia, was charged with robbery, simple assault, and theft. He was arraigned by District Justice Marriot and bail was set at 10 percent of $25,000. Clay was sent to Bucks County Prison.

Bensalem Police responded at 11:11 p.m. on Saturday to the Comfort Inn at 2779 Lincoln Highway for the report of a robbery.

A woman said that while in the parking lot, she was approached by a lighter-skinned man approached her wearing a hooded sweatshirt. The man attempted to grab her purse from her and while doing so, sprayed her in the face with pepper spray.

Clay successfully took the victim’s purse, which contained personal identification, credit cards, and an unknown amount of cash.

Clay then ran towards and entered a white sedan, before leaving the scene. As a result of being pepper sprayed, the victim was transported to a hospital by Bensalem EMS for medical treatment.

Bensalem Police reviewed hotel surveillance footage, which captured Clay entering the driver seat of a white Chrysler 300 and fleeing the scene.

Officers also reviewed nearby Automatic License Plate Readers, which captured the license plate for the white Chrysler 300 as PA registration LXS6760.

The vehicle captured on ALPR cameras and the vehicle captured on hotel surveillance cameras has the same white hard hat on the rear seat shelf.

The aforementioned Chrysler 300 is registered to the defendant, Horace Clay. The Chrysler 300 was entered into NCIC as a Felony vehicle.

A short time later, the vehicle was stopped by the Yeadon Borough Police Department in Delaware County.

Clay was the operator of the vehicle and he was taken into custody. Horace Clay was interviewed by police and he admitted to taking the victim’s purse and pepper spraying her during the altercation.

A canister of pepper spray was also recovered from Clay’s vehicle.

The Bensalem Police Department thanked the Yeadon Borough Police Department for their assistance with this investigation.