Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Acting Norristown Police Chief James Angelucci announced today the arrests of eight individuals accused of taking part in multiple carjackings and robberies across Philadelphia, Norristown, and Whitemarsh.

The defendants are identified as: Anthony Lamont Bell, 19; Micus Golson, 17; Drehcir Brown, 18; David Anthony Demko Jr., 23; Elija Collazo Jr., 23; Victor Bell Jr., 20; Xavier Fuentes, 20, all of Norristown; and Jhalil Allen, 26, of Philadelphia.

Each is charged with Robbery of a Motor Vehicle, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Theft by Unlawful Taking, and related offenses, the DA said.

An extensive investigation which employed various surveillance was led by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau and the Norristown Police Department in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Office of Attorney General Gun Violence Task Force (GVTF), Pennsylvania State Police, Whitemarsh Township Police Department, Philadelphia Police Department, Plymouth Township Police Department and the Pottstown Borough Police Department.

On January 24, the Philadelphia Police Department received a report of a stolen Chevrolet Cruze. While investigating, law enforcement determined that Anthony Bell utilized a social media account to post a video inside the stolen Cruze, which was used in a carjacking of a silver Infiniti QX80 on January 28, 2024, in Philadelphia. As the investigation progressed, an overlap between the stolen Chevrolet Cruze and the current investigation was identified.

On Tuesday, January 28, at approximately 6:16pm, the Norristown Police Department responded to the 200 block of East Oak Street in Norristown for a ShotSpotter detection of multiple gunshots. The carjacked 2016 Silver Infiniti QX80 was involved during this shooting. When the driver attempted to flee, they crashed into another vehicle, at which time the occupants exited that vehicle and carjacked a white Chevrolet pick-up truck and then fled the area. Anthony Bell was identified as a participant.

As these individuals fled the area, they attempted to carjack two more vehicles in Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County and Philadelphia. The victims identified multiple masked and armed suspects.

Once in Philadelphia, they successfully carjacked a Nissan Rogue, abandoning the pick-up truck. This victim detailed that four armed, unknown black males approached him demanding the vehicle. Investigative analysis of Bell’s cell phone records and GPS data confirmed his presence at the scene of all the carjackings, and records also revealed that Bell was in phone contact with multiple members of this organization, including Allen.

The following day, Norristown Police located the stolen Nissan Rogue on the 200 block of Chain Street in Norristown. When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver, later identified as Anthony Bell, “fled at a high rate of speed. Pennsylvania State Police assisted, during which Bell nearly struck two state troopers who were on foot. The chase concluded when Bell crashed into another occupied vehicle on I-76. Bell, along with Drehcir Brown and Micus Golson, attempted to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended,” the DA said.

Upon Bell’s arrest, officers discovered the keys to the stolen Chevrolet pick-up in his possession, along with two phones. Search warrants were obtained, and images and videos were found on both phones of Bell, Golson, and other suspects posing with firearms equipped with extended magazines.

Just 15 minutes after the initial pursuit on I-76, officers observed the stolen Chevrolet Cruze driving towards I-76 from Conshohocken. Despite another attempted traffic stop, the driver refused to comply and fled. The vehicle was later found crashed along mile marker 335.9, with two suspects seen fleeing into nearby woods. Investigators used cell phone data to place Allen near the crash site, with records showing an outgoing call to Demko and Collazo during his flight.

On February 10, Demko and Allen were involved in a shooting on the 500 block of Stanbridge Street in Norristown. This shooting occurred during Blockson Middle School’s dismissal with numerous students in the area. As they fled in a silver Honda CRV, law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, but the suspects fled recklessly, almost striking a Norristown Police Officer. Through a search of phone records, it was found that Collazo was in contact with Allen and Demko at the time of their fleeing and aided the two by collecting and discarding broken glass left at the scene as they fled from law enforcement. A subsequent search of Demko’s residence uncovered multiple Sig Sauer 9 mm firearm parts, a privately made AR-15 style firearm loaded with 19 live rounds, an unloaded Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol, and a significant amount of packaged marijuana alongside a digital scale.

On February 18, both Demko and Allen were stopped by a Pennsylvania State Trooper. During the stop, both suspects attempted to flee on foot while armed with Glock .40 caliber pistols equipped with Machine Gun Conversion Devices, commonly known as “switches.”

A search of a residence linked to Bell resulted in the discovery of a Glock Model 19 9 mm pistol, marijuana packaged for sale, drug-packaging materials, and a scale. In total, five firearms recovered from the defendants’ residences were submitted for National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) analysis. The analysis linked the firearms to nine separate incidents of gun violence throughout Norristown.

Anthony Bell, Victor Bell, Demko and Allen have already been arrested and remain in custody due to prior charges. The remaining defendants are in the process of being arrested on the new charges and will be arraigned, the DA said.

“The arrest of these individuals marks a significant step in reducing violent crime in our communities,” said DA Steele, “Thanks to the diligent work of multiple law enforcement agencies, we have seen a nearly 70% decrease in shooting incidents detected by ShotSpotter since these arrests. This collaborative effort is a testament to our commitment to keeping our streets safe.”

Allen, Demko Jr., and both Anthony Bell and Victor Bell were arraigned on April 3. Allen and Anthony Bell’s bail was set at $1 million each, Victor Bell’s bail was set at $250,077, and Demko’s bail was set at $350,077.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 23. An arraignment will be held for Golson, Brown and Fuentes, where a preliminary hearing will be scheduled.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Collazo. For any information leading to his arrest, you can call Montgomery County Detectives at 610-278-3368.

Photos: Montco DA