Norristown man apprehended for Pottstown shooting
NORRISTOWN » A Norristown man wanted by authorities for allegedly shooting at three other men who are accused of participating in the gunshot slaying of a man in Pottstown during a botched marijuana robbery has been apprehended by detectives.
Eric Baker, 26, of the 300 block of West Poplar Street, Norristown, was apprehended on Nov. 3 by Montgomery County detectives in a residence in Norristown without incident. Authorities alleged Baker was in possession of a .22-caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number at the time of his arrest.
Baker’s apprehension came after he was observed earlier in the day operating a Toyota vehicle in Pottstown. Police were unable to stop the vehicle, which was then observed fleeing eastbound on Route 422, according to authorities.
Baker was arraigned before District Court Judge Edward Levine, who set bail at $1 million cash, on charges of aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, person not to possess a firearm and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the Oct. 23 incident in Pottstown.
Baker was unable to post bail and he was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility to await a preliminary hearing on the charges on Nov. 10 before District Court Judge Edward C. Kropp Sr.
Baker’s apprehension was announced on Thursday by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Pottstown Police Chief Michael Markovich.
A warrant for Baker’s arrest was issued on Oct. 23 in connection with allegations he fired an assaultstyle weapon at Samir
Bentley, 20, Daijon Naseer Harrison, 22, and Ahmed Mohammed, 16, all of Philadelphia, as they fled in a vehicle from the fatal shooting of Robert Stiles, 27, in the 400 block of East High Street.
Bentley, Harrison and Mohammed each face charges of first-, second-, and thirddegree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and firearms-related charges in connection with Stiles’ death.
Harrison surrendered to authorities earlier this week. Authorities are still searching for Bentley and Mohammed.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the men or about the alleged murder should contact Pottstown Police at 610-970-6570 or the Montgomery County Detectives’ Tip Line at 610-278-DOIT (3638).
Anonymous text tips can be submitted using MontcoCrimeTips on the STOPit! app. The STOPit! app can be downloaded for free from the App Store for iPhones or Google Play for Androids, then use code MONTCOPA to get the Montgomery County version of the app.
The investigation began at 8:26 p.m. Oct. 23 when Pottstown police were dispatched to the 400 block of East High Street for a report of a shooting and found Stiles lying on the sidewalk, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to a criminal complaint filed by county Detective Jamie Lavin and Pottstown Detective Brooke Hatfield.
Stiles was transported to the Reading Trauma Center where he was pronounced dead at 11:32 p.m.
Several minutes after the shooting, police were dispatched to a crash at North Washington and Beech streets involving a white Toyota Corolla and a black Nissan Altima. Witnesses
reported observing for people running from the Nissan and described one of the subjects as having dreadlocks and carrying a long gun, according to court papers.
A 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun was recovered from the Toyota and a Pennsylvania ID update card belonging to Baker was found in the Nissan, authorities alleged.
Detectives reviewed camera surveillance from the 400 block of East High Street that recorded video and audio from the shooting.
“In reviewing the video and audio detectives observed the victim, Robert Stiles, was the victim of a robbery at the time he was shot,” Lavin and Hatfield alleged in the criminal complaint.
Detectives alleged the video recording depicted Stiles standing in the block when he allegedly was grabbed by Mohammed, who pulled Stiles into the “cut” at 439 E. High St. Witnesses could be heard on the surveillance recording claiming Stiles was being robbed and gunned down, according to court papers.
As Mohammed and the victim are in the “cut,” Bentley and Harrison approached, detectives alleged.
“Harrison can be seen removing a handgun from his waistband and handing it to Bentley. One single gunshot can be heard fired from the ‘cut,’ followed immediately by three more gunshots that are fired by Bentley. The victim can be seen falling to the ground…,” detectives wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Detectives alleged Mohammed, Bentley and Harrison fled to a dark-colored minivan that was parked nearby. Detectives recovered a cellphone that was dropped as the shooters fled and the phone’s background photo depicted Bentley, authorities alleged.
According to court papers, as the minivan pulled away, Baker, wearing a hooded sweatshirt embossed with a “Glock” emblem and sporting shoulder length dreadlocks, is observed on video surveillance firing an assault rifle at the minivan as it flees.
As Stiles is lying on the sidewalk, he can be heard on the audio saying, “I’m shot, I’m shot, Bro I’m shot, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me,” according to court papers.
Stiles also can be seen discarding a clear plastic bag, throwing it several feet from where he was laying.
“This bag was later recovered at the scene and found to contain multiple ounces of marijuana,” Lavin and Hatfield alleged.
An autopsy by the Berks County Coroner’s Office determined Stiles died from multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was ruled homicide. A forensic pathologist noted a bullet entrance wound on Stiles’ back above his hip, which exited on the left side, and a bullet entrance in his stomach area, above the right hip.
“The projectile from this wound lodged in the victim’s spine and was recovered,” detectives wrote in the criminal complaint.
Detectives processed the scene of the shooting and recovered three .45-caliber fired cartridge casings, one 9mm fired cartridge casing and seven .22-caliber fired cartridge casings, according to court papers.
The .45-caliber casings were recovered from the area where Bentley allegedly fired the handgun, detectives alleged. The 9mm casing was recovered in the “cut” area where the initial gunshot was heard and the .22-caliber casings were recovered from the sidewalk where Baker allegedly fired the assault-style rifle, according to the criminal complaint.
After the shooting, a white Toyota Corolla pulled up to the scene and a passenger exited the vehicle, detectives said. The vehicle then pulled away, traveling east on High Street in the westbound lanes and turned left onto Washington Street.
Video surveillance also depicted a black Nissan Altima, which had been parked in the area of the shooting, and immediately after the shooting the Nissan was observed fleeing the scene westbound on High Street.
Detectives believe that the two vehicles are the same vehicles that collided with each other at North Washington and Beech streets minutes later.
Police and detectives subsequently identified a 2011 Chrysler Town and Country minivan used as the getaway vehicle and discovered that it had been reported stolen in Philadelphia on Oct. 13 during a gunpoint robbery, according to court papers. The minivan was later found abandoned with a flat tire in Royersford and was towed from a location across from the Wawa store on Main Street, according to the criminal complaint.
“On the driver side of the vehicle there were three obvious bullet holes,” detectives said.
Surveillance video from the Wawa store depicted Bentley and Mohammed entering the store at 8:50 p.m., a little more than 20 minutes after the murder, where they purchased food and then left at 9:04 p.m., according to court papers.