Felony crime spree linked to St. Francis & St. Vincent Home
Tharyn Battis Jr., 18, and Daniel Rosa, 15, have been arrested for vehicle thefts and other charges in Bensalem.
On Dec. 2, at 4:15 a.m., a resident of Oak Court in Bensalem arrived at her home and parked her vehicle. She observed five to seven males huddled in the parking lot, so she remained in her vehicle, hoping they would leave. A short time later, a male who appeared to be in his early 20s wearing dark clothing and a mask tapped on her window with a gun and ordered her out of the car. He then pointed the gun to her face and told her to give him her phone and walk away. The man entered her white Honda Pilot and sped away from the scene with another male passenger.
Police tracked the vehicle utilizing cameras and automated license plate readers as it traveled north on Hulmeville Road and east on Park Avenue. At 5:07 a.m., police discovered the stolen Honda in the Oak Court area. It was unoccupied.
On Dec. 3, at 5 a.m., police responded to Magnolia Court for the report of a vehicle theft in progress. Upon arrival, the Toyota Rav 4 had already been stolen. Police immediately checked cameras and automated license plate readers and discovered that the vehicle was traveling west on Street Road. Police attempted to stop the vehicle at the intersection of Street and Mechanicsville roads when the vehicle’s driver rammed the side of a police van and fled. Police pursued the vehicle, and the passenger bailed out of the car near Byberry and Knights roads and ran into a wooded area.
The subject, later identified as Battis, continued reaching toward his waistband while running away. Police were able to take Battis into custody at gunpoint. He was identified as a resident of the St. Francis Home for Children on Bristol Pike in Bensalem. A K-9 track was performed, and police discovered a Glock 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, Battis’ cellphone, a vape pen and a pocket knife in the wooded area where Battis was taken into custody.
The unoccupied, stolen Toyota Rav 4 was recovered in the 300 block of Penguin Drive a short time later. The Glock handgun is registered to a Bensalem resident and was reported stolen from a vehicle on Thanksgiving Eve.
During the investigation, the stolen Toyota driver was identified as Rosa, Park Avenue, Bensalem. It was also determined that Battis and Rosa committed the carjacking that occurred the night before on Oak Court.
Both were charged with Robbery, Robbery of a Motor Vehicle, Persons Not to Possess a Firearm, Theft, Receiving Stolen Property, Conspiracy and related charges. Rosa was charged as an adult. On Dec. 3, Battis was arraigned by District Justice Joseph Falcone and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $3 million bail. Rosa was arrested at his home, arraigned by Falcone and remanded to the Bucks County Youth Center (Edison) on 10% of $5 million bail.
Bensalem Police have had multiple criminal contacts with residents of the St. Francis & St. Vincent Home for Children and found that staff has little or no control over them. It was discovered that several residents of St. Francis Home for Children went AWOL simultaneously at 2:59 a.m. on Dec. 2, just before the carjacking. Staff only reported that Battis was missing.
The home is for troubled youth who commit crimes in Philadelphia and are court-ordered to live at the Bensalem facility. In recent months, there has been a significant uptick in crimes committed in the Brookwood and Eddington sections of the township, specifically vehicle thefts and vehicle break-ins. Police ask residents to be vigilant and dial 911 if they see any suspicious activity in their neighborhood.
Suspected DUI traffic stop leads to gun seizure, arrest
At 2 a.m. on Dec. 8, Bensalem Police observed a black Nissan Rogue traveling on Knights Road near Dunksferry Road. The vehicle’s rear lights were inoperable, the driver failed to use a turn signal and the vehicle crossed the shoulder of the roadway several times.
A traffic stop was conducted and the vehicle’s driver was identified as Khalil Laney, 34 of Bonsall Street, Philadelphia. During the traffic stop, the police officer noticed an odor of an alcoholic beverage and a PA Permit to Carry a Concealed Firearm in the paperwork Laney was looking through. When asked, Laney stated that he did not have a firearm on his person or in the car. When police ran a check on Laney, they discovered that his concealed firearms permit had been revoked.
When officers asked him to step out of the vehicle and conduct a pat down for safety, they found a loaded 9 mm semiautomatic gun in the waistband of his pants and suspected marijuana packaged for sale in the vehicle. The firearm was secured, and field sobriety tests showed officers that Laney was not capable of safely operating a motor vehicle due to his level of intoxication.
Laney was charged with DUI, Carrying a Firearm Without a License, Possession of Marijuana and related narcotic offenses, as well as traffic violations. District Justice Daniel Baranowski arraigned Laney and remanded him to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $35,000 bail.
