2 convicted felons face gun charges following call of ATM theft attempt in Philly during unrest, feds say
PHILADELPHIA - Two convicted felons are facing gun charges after officers received a call about an ATM theft attempt during the unrest in Philadelphia earlier this month, United States Attorney William McSwain announced Tuesday.
Steven Pennycooke, 34, and Shawn Collins, 27, both of Philadelphia, were each charged by criminal complaint with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“As I made clear last week, my Office is committed to prosecuting anybody who took advantage of the George Floyd protests to try to commit violent acts or otherwise violate federal law. There will be accountability,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “In this case, two previously convicted felons are charged with allegedly possessing firearms, which presents a clear danger to the community. We will continue to enforce the rule of law in Philadelphia and throughout the Eastern District of Pennsylvania during this period of unrest – and always.”
While a mandatory curfew was in effect on June 2, Philadelphia police received a call regarding two individuals loading an ATM onto a cart on the 4100 block of Viola Street in the Parkside section of West Philadelphia. Officers responded to the scene and observed what appeared to be a safe in the middle of the street. The officers also observed two individuals fitting the description from the original call—Pennycooke and Collins—standing near a vehicle about halfway down the block from the safe, authorities said.
According to the complaint, Pennycooke removed an object, later confirmed to be a loaded 9mm Hi-Point C9 handgun, from his waistband and discarded it in the rear passenger seat of the vehicle parked nearby. Collins was also found to have a firearm in his waistband, later confirmed to be a loaded 9mm Taurus PT24/7 G2 C handgun, according to authorities.
Both Pennycooke and Collins are convicted felons and cannot legally possess firearms. Also according to the complaint, Collins acknowledged to the arresting officer that he did not have a permit to carry a firearm.
Following peaceful protests on the afternoon of May 30 in response to the killing of George Floyd civil unrest began to unfold in Philadelphia.
The investigation is ongoing.
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