Cops: Drug dealer kills would-be robber

Cops: Drug dealer

kills would-be robber

* Millbank Road near Midway Avenue, Upper Darby

A drug dealer with a permit to carry a gun shot and killed a man who tried to rob him Monday night in Upper Darby, police said.

The 24-year-old dealer was getting out of his car about 11:30 when Devaughn Tucker-Knight, 21, came up behind him, pulled a gun and demanded everything the man had, said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.

Unfortunately for Tucker-Knight, the dealer had been reaching into his car to grab his handgun, Chitwood said.

The two engaged in a gunbattle during which nine shots were fired, police said.

Tucker-Knight, of Philadelphia, was hit twice in the chest and was pronounced dead at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Chitwood said police believe that the man had been targeted for the robbery and that he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon and a permit issued to people who carry firearms as a part of their jobs.

The dealer had not been charged with any crime as of yesterday, Chitwood said.

Bank robbed

in Chestnut Hill

* Stenton Avenue near

Gravers Lane

Cops and the FBI are seeking help to track down two men who robbed a Chestnut Hill bank yesterday afternoon.

The pair went into the Sovereign Bank just before 12:30 p.m., authorities said, and gave a teller a threatening note. They obtained an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing, cops said.

The robbers were described as black, about 5 feet 10, and were wearing black burqa-like robes and black head coverings.

Tipsters should call the FBI at 215-418-4000 or the Philadelphia Police tip line at 215-686-8477.

3 wounded in

drive-by shooting

* 5th and Pierce streets,

South Philadelphia

Three men were standing on a South Philadelphia corner yesterday afternoon when someone drove by and opened fire on them, wounding all three, police said.

Authorities said the men were outside just before 3:30 p.m. when a gold Dodge drove by and the occupants of the vehicle began shooting at them. One of the victims, 19, was hit once in his left leg and taken by police to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. The two men with him on the corner, who police said are both 52 years old, were each hit in the ankle. They were both taken by medics to Jefferson.

All three were listed in stable condition yesterday afternoon.

Wildlife camera catches burglar

* East Fallowfield Township,

Chester County

A Chester County homeowner who had a camera trained on his yard to catch wildlife in action was able to use it help police nab an alleged serial burglar.

Police found images of Larry Samuel, also known as Elijah Samuel, on the camera and were able then to link him to 13 burglaries in East Fallowfield, Valley and Sadsbury townships between Oct. 27 and Feb. 1, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced yesterday.

Samuel, 32, of Coatesville, was charged with burglary, gun offenses and related crimes. Samuel allegedly stole electronics, jewelry, 10 firearms (including revolvers, shotguns, semiautomatics and a rifle), liquor, cash, a mink coat, prescription medication and even a child's bookbag during his three-month burglary spree.

In most cases, the burglar broke in through basement or first-floor windows. But at one home, he scaled a roof and entered through an open second-floor window, according to the criminal complaint.

At another, he found a spare key under a flower pot and let himself in, according to the complaint.

"The defendant has been terrorizing Chester County townships for months," Hogan said.

"He targeted homes around where he lived. He was bold enough to conduct some of these crimes during the day, with people present in the homes."

The three townships formed a task force to investigate the burglaries and caught a break in the case when they discovered Samuel's image on an East Fallowfield Township victim's wildlife camera, Hogan said.

They then discovered that Samuel had sold many of the stolen items at a nearby pawn shop, American Cash Traders, he said.

They also recovered some stolen ammunition and electronics at his home.

Police say the goods stolen were worth at least $35,000.

None of the stolen firearms has been recovered.

Samuel had previous convictions for escape and drug possession with intent to deliver, and so wasn't legally permitted to have firearms, according to the criminal complaint.

- Morgan Zalot, Phillip Lucas, Stephanie Farr and Dana DiFilippo