9 Felonies Filed Against Armed Man Let Into Delco School

DARBY, PA – Numerous charges, including nine felonies, have been filed against the armed man who was let into a Delaware County elementary school last week, according to court documents.

Nahzer Sabree, 21, of Philadelphia, has been charged with four counts of felony aggravated assault, two counts of felony terrorsitic threats, two felony firearm violations, and felony possession of an instrument of crime. Sabree also faces charges of committing a crime with a firearm, defiant trespassing on school grounds, recklessly endangering another person, possession of a weapon on a school campus, and harassment.

He is being held on $500,000 bail, according to court records.

Sabree is slated for a Jan. 16 preliminary hearing.

Sabree was taken into custody Friday, Jan. 4 after he was let into Park Lane Elementary School in Darby while armed with a stolen semiautomatic handgun.

Police said Sabree was allowed in the school by an office staffer at about noon after he was seen picking up and putting down garbage while shirtless outside the school at about 9 a.m.

According the William Penn School District, the employee let Sabree into the school and called Principal Dawnee Watson-Bouie, who police said later recognized him as a former student, to the office.

Sabree has no current connection to the school and the district said they do not have a statement from that employee as to why the young man was allowed in the school.

The district said Watson-Bouie was told a young man was not behaving normally.

Watson-Bouie asked the young man why he was there, and he said that he was looking for a bag and wanted to know if anyone brought it into the building, per the district.

Watson-Bouie told him she would make an all-call to ask if anyone had found the bag, then escorted the Sabree out into the lobby and past the secured doors where he could not get back into the main office or the rest of the building, the district said. The district said there was no evidence of a gun or signs of violence evident to staff or in video surveillance in the school.

After Sabree was escorted out, police were called when he was seen in a baseball field at the school, the district said.

That's when he began running up and down the street trying to enter homes at about 12:15 p.m., police said.

The school was then placed on lockdown, police said.

Police were then called and chased Sabree, who began to pull out the gun but police were able to take him into custody after a struggle.

No one was hurt in the incident and no shots were fired, police said.

"We are grateful to the responding police officers for their safe handling and apprehension of the young man," the district said in a statement on the incident.

The district said it will investigate this incident by getting more information and statements and planning for possible additional safeguards and procedures for admittance into school buildings.

Darby Borough Police Chief Robert Smythe criticized Watson-Bouie's actions during a press conference Friday, saying she should have activated a panic button. However, the district stood by the principal in the statement.

"It was questioned as to why Dr. Watson-Bouie did not push the Panic Button which alerts all local police agencies that there is an armed intruder in the building," the statement reads in part. "It was not utilized as Dr. Watson Bouie had no evidence that there was an armed intruder."

Sabree has an "extensive" criminal history, including burglary, assault, and theft, according to police.

The handgun in questions was reported stolen from a vehicle in Lansdowne in early December, but it's unclear if Sabree stole the gun himself.

Image via Darby Police