Teen charged in fatal crash, East Coventry burglary
NORRISTOWN » A Philadelphia teenager faces murder and burglary-related charges in connection with an alleged East Coventry, Chester County, residential break-in that was followed by a crash in Norristown that left one of his passengers dead.
Kareem Samuel Jr., 16, of the 6000 block of Colgate Street, Philadelphia, was arraigned before District Court Judge Gregory Scott on charges of third degree murder, homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, accidents involving death or personal injury and recklessly endangering others in connection with the 5:40 a.m. Aug. 3, 2017, crash at Main and Hamilton streets that claimed the life of a rear seat passenger, 17-year-oldMark Thorne, of Bala Cynwyd.
An autopsy determined Thorne died from multiple blunt force injuries.
Samuel is being held without bail while awaiting his Nov. 27 preliminary hearing.
Samuel was charged as an adult due to the violent nature of the alleged offenses. Four other passengers also were in Samuel’s car and three of them suffered injuries in the crash, according to court documents.
Samuel and those four passengers, Dawud Russell McKnight, 20, of the 100 block of Hartranft Avenue, Norristown; Brian Keith Walters, 21, of the 800 block of George Street, Norristown; John T. Purdie III, 19, of Atlanta, Ga.; and a 17-year-old juvenile male face burglary-related charges in connection with an alleged residential break-in along Ridge Road in East Coventry, Chester County, that preceded the crash.
Authorities are searching for McKnight, Walters and Purdie and warrants have been issued for their arrests, officials said.
“All of these individuals engaged in a conspiracy to commit the crime of burglary. The conspiracy continued as the actors returned to Norristown to examine the profits of the burglary and took flight fromlaw enforcement in an effort to remain undetected in their criminal activity,” Norristown Detective Charles Leeds and county Detective William Mitchell alleged in the criminal complaint.
An investigation began about 5:30 a.m. when Norristown police received a report of suspicious activity involving several males in a white vehicle in the area of the first block of Buttonwood Street. The caller told police the males were discarding items and breaking into other items while stopped in that area.
As police headed to the area they observed a white 2003 Hyundai Sonata vehicle occupied by several males ignore a stop sign on Buttonwood Street and travel east ontoWashington Street, according to court papers.
Police tried to follow the vehicle but authorities alleged the driver, later determined to be Samuel, fled. Surveillance cameras showed Samuel ignored 10 stop signs, including one where he nearly struck another motorist, according to the criminal complaint.
As police were searching for the vehicle they learned it had crashed at Main and Hamilton streets, according to the criminal complaint. Samuel allegedly ignored a red traffic signal while traveling northbound on Hamilton Street and collided with a black Chevrolet Suburban, operated by an off-duty Montgomery County deputy sheriff, which was traveling eastbound on Main Street and had the right of way. The deputy was treated for injuries sustained in the crash and later released.
Witnesses in the area told detectives they observed a car “flying” through the intersection before it collided with the Chevrolet Suburban. Authorities alleged Samuel was traveling 55 mph at the time of the crash in an area posted for 25 mph.
During the search of the vehicle that Samuel was driving, detectives found a safe on the rear floor, wedged between the front and rear seats. The investigation determined the safe had been stolen from a home in East Coventry,
Chester County, during a break-in earlier that morning.
The victim of the East Coventry burglary reported that two safes and
two knives had been stolen from the home. Detectives alleged Walters was found possessing the two knives and the second safe was found by police at the Buttonwood Street location in Norristown where witnesses first reported the suspicious activity of the
men.
During the investigation, Walters told detectives that after Samuel passed a police officer on Washington Street Samuel “took off” and was “going fast as hell, running stop signs,” according to the criminal complaint. Walters claimed
at one point he opened the back door to attempt to get out and that he and at least one other passenger told Samuel to stop.
In another statement, Walters told detectives the six males took part in the burglary in East Coventry, climbing over a fence to gain access to
the property before entering the unoccupied home, court documents alleged. Once back in Norristown, Samuel drove the men to the Buttonwood Street area where they stopped and tried to enter the safes, according to Walters’ statement.
Walters told detectives that when they saw someone watching them they fled the area, leaving one of the safes behind.
During the investigation, detectives also uncovered incriminating Facebook messages during which some of the suspects discussed the East Coventry burglary.