Man jailed for Norristown robbery
A Bridgeport man is headed to prison after he admitted to attacking and injuring another man during a strongarm robbery as the victim was walking to a transportation center in Norristown.
Daryl Cook, 39, of the 300 block of West Fifth Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 6 to 14 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of robbery in connection with the Jan. 7, 2019, incident near Main and Swede streets in Norristown.
Judge Steven T. O’Neill, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, ordered Cook to pay $879 in restitution and to have no contact with the victim, as conditions of the sentence.
County Assistant District Attorney Furrah Qureshi sought a lengthy prison term against Cook.
“The victim in this case was a grad student who was an out-of-towner and the defendant victimized him, robbed him and beat him in a horrible way,” Qureshi said.
Qureshi said the victim, who is from Philadelphia, supported the plea agreement and the outcome of the case, which avoided a trial.
Cook, who was represented by defense lawyer John McMahon Jr., pleaded guilty to the charge shortly before jury selection was to begin for his trial.
“Mr. Cook clearly made the best decision that he could have made under the circumstances. Even though it was a difficult decision for him, sometimes you have to cut your losses,” McMahon said.
An investigation began about 7:36 p.m. Jan. 7, 2019, when Norristown police were dispatched to Swede and Main streets for a reported robbery with the suspect fleeing along Main Street, according to the criminal complaint. Arriving officers found the male victim suffering from several abrasions on his face and his hands.
The victim told police he was walking on Swede Street heading to the Norristown Transportation Center when he was knocked down from behind, Norristown Detective Charles Leeds wrote in the arrest affidavit. Cook, detectives alleged, got on top of the victim, punched him and demanded his wallet.
“A bystander who happened to be going by during the incident stopped and intervened in the incident, thereby saving the victim from further victimization,” Qureshi added.
According to court papers, the eyewitness confronted Cook and Cook did not disengage from the victim until the witness drew a firearm and advised Cook to stop the assault. Cook then fled from the area on foot, court papers indicate. The Good Samaritan witness remained at the scene until police arrived.
The victim was transported to Paoli Hospital for treatment of his injuries, detectives said. The Philadelphia man suffered a concussion, multiple facial contusions and abrasions, a blackened eye and swollen lips, according to court papers.
Detectives obtained video surveillance footage from cameras situated at the BP Gas Station and McDonald’s complex at Route 202 and Main Street and at several locations along West Main Street. The video footage showed the victim, talking on the phone and carrying a bag, leaving the BP and McDonald’s complex on foot and walking along Main Street toward Swede Street and the transportation center. A man, subsequently identified as Cook, is depicted in the video surveillance footage following the victim and accosting him on Swede Street, just south of
Main Street, according to court papers.
“The attacker approaches the victim from the rear where he knocks the victim to the ground. The attacker then proceeds to go through the victim’s pockets while the victim is on the ground. The attacker then beats the victim,” Leeds alleged.
The video surveillance showed a Chevrolet SUV operated by the eyewitness turn south onto Swede Street from Main Street.
“The operator of the vehicle, who is known to police, approaches the victim and attacker at which time the attacker ends his assault and flees north to Main Street then west on Main Street,” Leeds alleged.
Detectives used images obtained from the video surveillance and facial recognition technology to positively identify Cook as the attacker, according to court papers. Cook was in custody within several days.
“This case was solved relatively quickly and a dangerous person was taken off the street,” said Qureshi, praising the investigation conducted by Norristown detectives.
Other charges of aggravated and simple assault and recklessly endangering another person were dismissed against Cook as part of the plea agreement.