8 Men Charged In Violent Carjackings And Robberies In Norristown, Whitemarsh: DA

NORRISTOWN, PA — Eight men have been arrested for a series of violent carjackings and robberies throughout Norristown, Whitemarsh, and Philadelphia, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.

The arrests follow a months-long investigation into the group, which hails from Norristown and whose members range in age from 17 to 26.

"The arrest of these individuals marks a significant step in reducing violent crime in our communities,” DA Kevin Steele said in a statement.

The investigation began on Jan. 25 after police found a social media video of Anthony Lamont Bell, 19, posting a video inside a stolen Chevrolet Cruze.

Three days later, on Jan. 28, Bell used the stolen Cruze to carjack a silver Infinit QX80 in Philadelphia, police said.

Bell then drove the stolen QX80 back to Norristown, and used it during a shooting incident on the 200 block of East Oak Street at around 6:16 p.m., according to authorities.

Bell crashed the QX80 into another vehicle while trying to flee the scene, and then carjacked a third vehicle, a white Chevrolet pick up truck, and fled the area, police said.

Wearing a mask and armed with handguns, Bell and several others — including 17-year-old Micus Golson, 18-year-old Drehcir Brown, 23-year-olds David Anthony Demko Jr. and Elija Collazo Jr., 20-year-olds Victor Bell Jr., 20 and Xavier Fuentes, 20, and 26-year-old Jhalil Allen — worked together to carjack a fourth vehicle in Philadelphia, a Nissan Rogue, investigators said.

The victim told police that four armed and masked men approached him and demanded he get out.

On Jan. 29, police tracked the stolen Nissan Rogue to the 200 block of Chain Street in Norristown, where they said it was being driven by Bell. When they tried to pull him over, he fled at a high rate of speed and nearly ran over two state troopers, officials said.

Bell made it to I-76 but he crashed into another vehicle. He, Brown, and Golson tried to run away, but were quickly captured, according to police.

Moments after they were taken into custody, officers saw the stolen Chevrolet Cruze heading onto I-76 from Conshohocken. They also refused to stop, fleeing until they crashed near mile marker 335.9, and fled into the woods, police said. They added that they later placed Allen at this crash site using phone records.

Allen escaped, however, and on Feb. 10, he and Demko were involved in a shooting on the 500 block of Stanbridge Street in Norristown, according to authorities, while the middle school was being dismissed.

Once again they fled at a high rate of speed, nearly striking a Norristown officer, police said.

The pair were taken into custody on Feb. 18 during a traffic stop, where they again tried to flee on foot but were captured. Police said they found Glocks with machine gun conversion devices on both of their persons.

Police said they found five more illegal firearms at the homes of the suspects when they completed search warrants. The weapons were analyzed by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which were connected to nine separate incidents of gun violence in Norristown, according to the DA.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Collazo. If you have any information, contact Montgomery County Detectives at 610-278-3368.

Both Bells, Demko, and Allen are in custody, while the others are in the process of being arrested, the DA's office said. A preliminary hearing is set for May 23.